“Life Is Still ‘Lucky’ ”: Educational Trajectory of the Average Kyivan Woman in the Modern Era Based on the Autobiography

Abstract

To this day, the opinion that is widespread in the scientific literature about the accessibility of secondary and higher women’s education in the imperial era mainly for daughters of wealthy people, has led to the expediency of studying the problem. The autobiography of the average Kyivan burgher woman Dashko from a low-income family of traders has become the empirical material of the study. The chronological framework of the study, represented in the autobiography, includes the late imperial era: late 19th century — year 1913. The methodological basis of the study is the microhistory, which focuses on the development of history “from below” and “from within”, the study of living conditions, educational needs, motivations and forms of behaviour of the individual. As a result of the study it has been proven that at the late 19th and early 20th century the urban attractiveness of Kyiv prompted the city authorities to ensure the accessibility of school education for children of city residents. The autobiography of the average Kyivan woman Dashko demonstrates a specific educational trajectory of the daughter of Orthodox low-income burghers. The circumstances of life of the Kyivan woman show a clear connection between the wealth of the burgher family and plans for the future of the children. The low income of the family of traders resulted in the utilitarianism of the initial training of the daughter, as well as breaks in education, studying in various types of lower educational institutions in Kyiv. An innate curiosity, a formed desire for further development and going beyond the everyday life of the burgher family, combined with persistent training, ensured the girl’s admission to the Kyiv-Podilsky Women Gymnasium. Obtaining a secondary education became a significant achievement in the educational trajectory of the daughter of low-income Kyivan residents. Having tried the effectiveness of education as a channel of social mobility, the graduate of the gymnasium dreams of further education at the medical department of the Kyiv Higher Courses for Women.