Unmarried, well behaved and well dressed: The socialization process of female teachers in early twentieth-century Finland and Slovenia
Unmarried, well behaved and well dressed: The socialization process of female teachers in early twentieth-century Finland and Slovenia

Summary/Abstract: The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw the feminization of the teaching profession. The aim of this article is to examine the professionalization process of female teachers in Finland and Slovenia in the early twentieth century. As such, the article focuses on answering the following questions: What were the requirements for young women to enter teacher-training colleges? What kinds of skills were future female teachers supposed to learn at teacher-training colleges? How were female teachers expected to dress and behave? Based on historical source materials, this article reveals both differences and similarities in these respects. In addition to stating the various requirements for entrance to teacher-training colleges, the article indicates the teaching skills and individual characteristics that were expected of female teachers. As the findings indicate, female teachers were expected to be moral and decent individuals, who behaved well and dressed modestly. Thus, this article raises questions about how and why notions of the ideal female teacher vary across countries and over time.

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