Did you know? – Women can attend universities in Hungary for over 125 years
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Hungarian women, just like all women in the past, have gone through difficulties and hardships to be allowed at universities.
On August 27, some Hungarian news sites, such as 24.hu and 444.hu, wrote about the obscene collection of 7 songs sent to the freshmen at the University of Veterinary Medicine. The sexualisation of women and the lyrics which mention sexual acts with animals were severely judged by the rector of the university, who banned the songs and ordered an ethical investigation. The President of the Student Government completely distanced themselves from the lyrics of the songs, which were never taken seriously, and were only a tradition in freshman camps. The songs are approximately 50 years old. He also said that they are banned now and will never be used again.
Little did these people know that women have come a long way, and they were allowed to be university students for the first time in Hungary circa 125 years ago.
And the path to higher education was indeed long and complicated. In 1777, Maria Theresa made education mandatory through the Ratio Educationis law. In the era, it seemed obvious that girls and boys have to learn different things, which was noticeable in II. Ratio Educationis of 1806. This document stated the importance of all-girl schools. Girls were taught the skills and knowledge necessary for being a good housewife. At this point, elementary schools were the same for boys and girls alike, as they studied in co-educated classrooms due to lack of space and teachers. Of course, teachers at the time could only be men. Girls were also educated in private institutions and church-run institutions where they learned about family life and some knowledge regarding humanities. The social status of students resulted in differences in the school curriculum.
In the second half of the 1800s, women were hired as secretaries, but they could also work at the Hungarian railways, post, or they could become elementary school teachers. In 1855, the first church-run elementary school teacher training institution opened, and the first state-run one opened in 1869. These were not considered higher education institutions, though.
In 1868, a law demanded the same curriculum to be taught to boys and girls alike. But even with this major change, even if girls could study further, their institutions were not regular high schools.
Also, girls could not get a graduation certificate (baccalaureate or A-levels, as we would call it these days). Finally, in 1895, girls could also take the graduation exams. Another important change happened in the 1840s when, due to the women’s movements that intensified in the era, Hungarian girls were able to start attending secondary schools and vocational training institutions.
Now, we will have to fight to preserve women’s rights agains trans perverts. It is a traversity that we must fight.