Is education ONLY of value in the workplace? Even when considering economic value? Suppose a woman gets a good education, perhaps as a bookkeeper or accountant, and then marries and dedicates herself to raising her family. I would suggest that her education will likely help all her family economically, and as she shares tips, insights, etc., with her friends, it can benefit their families as well.
And this doesn't include the benefit to her children who she can teach many skills that they are less likely to learn in school.
I would consider education to be a benefit, even an economic benefit, to all of society, even where it doesn't directly apply to the workplace.
It seems to me that even in a more traditional society, education still has value for women for the same reason insurance does. Even if a woman expects to spend the rest of her life as a housewife, her husband may unexpectedly die, become disabled, or go through a stretch of unemployment. It makes sense for her to make herself employable in case such a disaster befalls her family.
One has to consider that women in the early to mid 20th century faced structural barriers to entering the workplace. To mention a specific one: during World War 2 highly educated women were employed by the Manhattan Project in my home town as "computers". They literally did the computations that today we would have had a computer do, but they were also able to do the math that went along with those computations. When I was growing up, I used to get cookies and milk from some of those women who were unable to pursue careers after the war ended so they became housewives. As a kid, I didn't know about any of this. Years later, as an adult, often at funerals I heard stories about Mrs. X and Mrs Y, etc and the roles they had played and the fact that they'd been summarily let go after the bombs were dropped.
Is education ONLY of value in the workplace? Even when considering economic value? Suppose a woman gets a good education, perhaps as a bookkeeper or accountant, and then marries and dedicates herself to raising her family. I would suggest that her education will likely help all her family economically, and as she shares tips, insights, etc., with her friends, it can benefit their families as well.
And this doesn't include the benefit to her children who she can teach many skills that they are less likely to learn in school.
I would consider education to be a benefit, even an economic benefit, to all of society, even where it doesn't directly apply to the workplace.
Just a prepositional note: when I saw "return to education" I thought it meant that people were coming BACK to education!
I think "return ON education" would be more correct.
It seems to me that even in a more traditional society, education still has value for women for the same reason insurance does. Even if a woman expects to spend the rest of her life as a housewife, her husband may unexpectedly die, become disabled, or go through a stretch of unemployment. It makes sense for her to make herself employable in case such a disaster befalls her family.
Makes me wonder - has anyone tried to seriously estimate total returns to education?
i.e. including things like spouse finding or education as a consumption good.
One has to consider that women in the early to mid 20th century faced structural barriers to entering the workplace. To mention a specific one: during World War 2 highly educated women were employed by the Manhattan Project in my home town as "computers". They literally did the computations that today we would have had a computer do, but they were also able to do the math that went along with those computations. When I was growing up, I used to get cookies and milk from some of those women who were unable to pursue careers after the war ended so they became housewives. As a kid, I didn't know about any of this. Years later, as an adult, often at funerals I heard stories about Mrs. X and Mrs Y, etc and the roles they had played and the fact that they'd been summarily let go after the bombs were dropped.