Lutheranism and Democracy: Scandinavia

Abstract

The story of girls’ secondary education in Scandinavia from the eighteenth to the twentieth century is a story of gender and social class. It is a story of Lutheran faith, explicitly emphasizing the different callings of men and women in the evangelical striving for a good and decent life. It is also a story of the recognition of enlightenment and democracy as dominant social values influencing ways of life. Throughout the story, we hear the voices of pioneer women, enacting entrepreneurship, making alliances, and balancing on boundaries between conflicting interests. Girls’ secondary education opened doors for women to fulfill a professional career at times when woman’s position was considered to be that of mother and housewife. Inquiring into girls’ secondary education, therefore, means inquiring into the relations between public and private.