Harriet Martineau

Household Education Harriet Martineau

"Every member of the household-children, servants, apprentices-every inmate of the dwelling, must have a share in the family plan; or those who make it are despots, and those who are excluded are slaves." - Harriet Martineau, Household Education (1849)




Household Education (1848), one of Harriet Martineau's most popular books, encouraged readers to believe that a woman's domestic and academic education be considered equally and criticized the lack of emphasis on formal education of young girls at that time. Further, she dismissed the time period's common ideas of command and obedience in favor of freedom and rationality. Acclaimed as one of the 100 best nonfiction books by "The Guardian" (2017), this book of empowerment of the time period is a must-read for those who wish to delve into Victorian history, sociology, and feminism.