A mulher e a educação no pensamento de Jean Jacques Rousseau: implicações para a atualidade.

Abstract

This paper addresses some of the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau's thoughts on women's education in the 18th century. It is essential to understand the place occupied by these women in society, their academic background and their respective social responsibilities. In his suggestive but utopian research project, Rousseau points out that early childhood should be the sole responsibility of women. When researching some of his speeches on the reorganization of civil society, suggesting the democratic system of rights, one can notice that such rights were directed only to men. Rousseau, known as the Contractualist philosopher, categorically states that women should receive only a fragmented education, they should not be offered more than basic knowledge of Portuguese, mathematics and care for the home and family. How can children be educated with mastery if they would not receive a complete education, which would provide knowledge to the point of obtaining freedom, critical thinking and understanding of the world? In view of this, we will discuss the following problematic question: what were Rousseau's thoughts regarding women's educational training in the 18th century and how do these thoughts reverberate today? With the aim of obtaining answers and understanding a little about the pedagogical roots of being feminine. The work is structured in three parts: the first, entitled Jean Jacques Rousseau: life and work; the second, addresses his thoughts on social organization and education. The third deals with Rousseau's educational thought. The work was developed through bibliographical research, works such as “Emile and Education”, “The Social Contract”, “Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men”, written by Jean Jacques Rousseau. To complement the work, authors such as Soares (1998), Montessori (1965), Pateman (1993), Silva (1999), among others, were important to bring this discussion together. Admitting that Rousseau was a precursor of early childhood education in the 18th century is a fact. However, its educational, political and civil participation process is aimed only at men and denied to women who give birth to life, who provide the first education, who take care of the family. To conclude with two examples of women who break the paradigms of a patriarchal and sexist society, being researchers, scientists, doctors of education and women.