Abstract
In 1874 the California Legislature passed two bills into law, one equalizing the salaries of women teachers, and the other making women eligible to serve on school boards. This essay looks at the supporters of these two bills and examines the methods they used to bring about the new laws. Through an examination of the California Senate and Assembly Journals, newspapers from the period, Common School Reports, and the annual reports from the Superintendent of Public Instruction, this essay will identify the arguments used in support of the bills, and will show how women teachers were perceived by the public. This essay will also examine how effective the bills were in equalizing salaries and electing women to school offices.
The essay will show that female teachers exploited popular perceptions regarding women to persuade lawmakers to pass the two bills. However, those same perceptions hampered the bills' enforcement. Few women saw an increase in their wages and even fewer were elected to school offices.