Technikatörténeti szemle 23. (1997-98)

TANULMÁNYOK - Vámos Éva Katalin: Women’s Opportunities of Studying and Practising Engineering in Hungary from 1895 to 1968 (On the example of Budapest Technical University and its women students)

not find women less suited for a lawyer's career than men - nevertheless, I would find women's training serviceable for whatever useful scientific career only if our manifold economy were able to grant jobs for twice the number of learned persons as we are in need of now".

2 Nevertheless, women tried to break these barriers. Girls, who passed "maturity" examination sent their applications over and over to the minister of religious and cultural affairs for permission to study at the Royal Hungarian József (Joseph) Technical University. The minister sent these on the official way to the Council of the Technical University and then rejected them. In their trial to break the barriers women were relying on international examples and connections. Both the women fighting for the broadening of their educational possibilities and the Ministry of Religious and Educational Affairs were aware of the international developments and took them Into consideration. Also foreign universities inquired about the situation of women's education in Hungary.

3 Brief history of the institutions of engineering education in Hungary The understanding of the history of women's engineering studies and careers in Hungary needs to be based on a brief survey of engineering education in the country. The latter had been one-centered before World War II. The most important institution of Hungarian engineering education before World War II was the Royal Hungarian József Technical University, Budapest. This was formed from several preceding institutions of higher technical education in 1871-72.

4 It was the first technical college in the world, which bore in his name the word "university". Doctoral degrees could be obtained here from 1901 on. As a step of the integration of universities it was organised into the Royal Hungarian University of Engineering and Economics „Palatine József" in 1934. The access of women to this sole technical university of the country and their opportunities of obtaining engineering degrees did not quite coincide. Women were easier admitted to the Faculty of Economics. Studies of economy also yielded degrees from the Technical University. After World War II university-level technical education was reorganized in Hungary. The University of Economics became independent from Budapest Technical University and new specialised technical universities came into being beside the one existing.

5 Owing to the characteristics of Hungarian university-level technical education women's struggles for admittance to engineering studies and careers can be best illustrated on the example of Budapest Technical University and the short-lived Technical University of Building and Transport Engineering.