An erudite analysis, comparison and critique of five theoretical systems of female education from Plato to the early 20th century. The author ultimately synthesizes the various theories into her own recommendations for an education that satisfies the needs of both men and women.
Jane Roland Martin was born in 1929, the child of a newspaper man and a home economics teacher. She attended the Little Red Schoolhouse and the Elizabeth Irwin High School in New York City. The "progressive education" that she received at these schools had an impact on her future writings. In 1951, she graduated from Radcliffe with a major in Political Theory. Martin was an elementary school teacher, later completing her Ph.D. in philosophy and education at Radcliffe. Martin continued her career in education and philosophy, holding several adjunct faculty positions until landing in the undergraduate philosophy department at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she became professor emerita.