Women Education Of The Taisho Period In Japan

After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese government implemented the civilization policyand began to attach importance to women education. During the middle and late stage ofMeiji Period, women education was systemized under the national education system. Womeneducation was developed and improved during the Taisho Period. Although the Taisho Periodonly lasted for13years in history, women education has a deep effect. With the breaking outof the World War Ⅱ, democracy and pacifism rose in the society, so did in the education field.Japanese government had to be faced with the “dangerous” atmosphere,began to strengthenthe control of national ideology and carried out the nationalism policy. Women educationduring this period was imprinted with ideology of “Virtuous-Wife-and-Worthy-Mother”.The first part of paper based on the three aspects of women primary, secondary andhigher education, summarizes the women education situation of Taisho period as a whole. Thesecond part elaborates in the causes for the changes of women education ideology of TaishoPeriod, accounted by the adjustment of women education policy of the Meiji Period and thesupport from educational trend of the Taisho Period and private parties. The last part is theevaluation of women education of Taisho Period. Firstly, the education focuses more on thepracticability,and the ideology of the education includes the“Virtuous-Wife-and-Worthy-Mother” thought of the nationalism education. And the“male-female-separated” senior education situation was broken through. Secondly, the effectson the society women are deliberated below: the knowledge gained by women are increased,which is good for the full-development of women,the appearance of the office lady, theawareness of female subject consciousness, the unequal educational rights of men and women,and the independence of women..Japanese women education ideas of Taisho period reflects the Japan during this periodwas affected by the concept of Nationalism. With the guidance of the education concept of“good wife and mother”, the modern women education reflects practicability andconservatism.