1898년 이후 1910년대까지의 신문과 잡지에서 가장 자주 등장하는 여성 담론은 여성교육에 대한 것이다. 이 논문에서는 최초로 여성들을 위한 제도교육이 형성되는 이 시기에 대중 매체의 기사들에 여성들이 재현되는 양상을 살펴보았다. 1898년 제 1기 여학교 설립운동을 주도한 찬양회 부인들 중에는 북촌의 양반 부인들뿐만이 아니라 중하층의 다양한 계급의 여성들도 다수 참여하고 있었다. 이들 중하층 여성들은 찬양회의 활동을 본격적인 운동성과 실천성, 조직력을 발휘할 수 있게 해주는 원동력이었다. 또 찬양회가 개화파 지식인들의 지지와 후원을 받았다고 알려져 있었지만, 당시 <제국신문>을 비롯한 개화 지식인들은 찬양회의 활동에 전적으로 동의한 것은 아니었다. 찬양회는 여성의 교육과 지식 획득의 의미를 온전히 여성을 위한 것으로 생각하였기 때문이다. 1906년 다시 시작된 제 2기 여학교 설립운동은 한 개의 관립 여학교와 그 외 많은 사립 여학교들의 설립으로 현실화되었다. 실질적인 여학교의 설립 과정을 통해 많은 여성들의 사회활동이 구체화되었다. 그들은 직접 여학교를 설립하거나, 설립을 후원하거나, 기부금을 내거나, 학생들을 가르쳤다. 연설하고 토론하는 여자들, 거리낌 없이 운동회를 하는 여자들의 재현을 통해 여성의 존재가 사회적으로 드러났고, 그로 인해 사치하고 타락하는 여학생의 서사도 매체에 등장하기 시작했다. 이 시기 교육에 관련된 활동을 한 여성들은 여성의 근대적 주체화에 가장 필요한 것이 ‘지식 획득’임을 알고 있었다. 그것은 곧 근대 ‘국민’으로서의 권리 획득으로 이어졌다. 여성들은 스스로 아직 ‘국민’으로 호명되지 못한 존재임을 알고 있었고, ‘여학교’라는 제도교육 기관의 설립을 통해 그것을 준비하고자 했던 것이다.

The issue that is most frequently discussed in the news paper and magazine between 1898 and 1910 is the education for women. This paper reviewed various aspects of women in the mass media during the Enlightment Era of the formal education for women. The members of Commendation Meeting who led the first movement for establishing women's school in 1898 consist of various levels of women from middle and low class as well as upper-class women in the North Village which was located in north area of seoul. These women made the Meeting's activities have the full-dressed movement, practice ability and organizational power. Although the Meeting is known as having full support and sponsorship from the enlightenment intellectuals, they actually did not fully agree with the activities of Commendation Meeting. For they thought the activities of the Meeting was the education and knowledge acquisition only for women. During the second movement to establish women's school restarted in 1906, one official women's school and many private women's schools were established. These establishment of women's schools enabled women's social activities. They established women's school by themselves, sponsored for such an establishment, gave some donation, or taught there. The presentation of women who made a speech or discussion or held a sports meeting without any reluctance exposed women socially and, as a consequence, extravagant and degradation women students had become shown in media. In this time, women who made education-related activities knew well that the most necessary thing for independently modernizing women was 'knowledge acquisition', linked with acquisition of right as modernized people. They were aware that they were still not considered as a nation's people and wanted to acquire that through the establishment of formal education institutes named women's school.

The issue that is most frequently discussed in the news paper and magazine between 1898 and 1910 is the education for women. This paper reviewed various aspects of women in the mass media during the Enlightment Era of the formal education for women. The members of Commendation Meeting who led the first movement for establishing women's school in 1898 consist of various levels of women from middle and low class as well as upper-class women in the North Village which was located in north area of seoul. These women made the Meeting's activities have the full-dressed movement, practice ability and organizational power. Although the Meeting is known as having full support and sponsorship from the enlightenment intellectuals, they actually did not fully agree with the activities of Commendation Meeting. For they thought the activities of the Meeting was the education and knowledge acquisition only for women. During the second movement to establish women's school restarted in 1906, one official women's school and many private women's schools were established. These establishment of women's schools enabled women's social activities. They established women's school by themselves, sponsored for such an establishment, gave some donation, or taught there. The presentation of women who made a speech or discussion or held a sports meeting without any reluctance exposed women socially and, as a consequence, extravagant and degradation women students had become shown in media. In this time, women who made education-related activities knew well that the most necessary thing for independently modernizing women was 'knowledge acquisition', linked with acquisition of right as modernized people. They were aware that they were still not considered as a nation's people and wanted to acquire that through the establishment of formal education institutes named women's school.

Enlightment Era, women's school, the education for women, Commendation Meeting, the movement for establishing women's school, the presentation of women