Academic journeys

The resumes of the first generation of female researchers from Poznań included numerous studies at foreign universities and sometimes also employment at the best European institutions of higher education. It was not a coincidence. For a long time going abroad was the only way for women to receive higher education. Studying abroad was expensive and required a lot of determination and support from the family and friends. However, many ambitious girls and women took up the challenge. It is estimated that in the years 1870-1914 about 3,000 women decided to do this.

The decision to study abroad had also an emancipatory overtone. Having the taste of independence and freedom changed everything. The return to a patriarchal family was unacceptable for most of the women. This can be easily inferred from the biographies of our protagonists.