The Industrial Revolution brought dramatic transformation regarding female image and lifestyle: from full-time housewife to working force [Reference 1]. Men were originally supposed to be educated so that they could  contribute to society and become a mainstay of a household. On the other hand, women were expected to aid their husbands in the domestic sphere, bring up the next generation, and so be taken as the member of the nation indirectly. In this way, women were also integrated into the nation as the indispensable existence, and were expected to make contributions as well. The important thing was that women would make a contribution as the second members of the state which were located in the subordinate position of men, and still had not enough power to overthrow the male-dominated society. Women in the Meiji era faced great changes in life. The image of Ryo-sai-ken-bo, taken as the finest ideal for women, has characterized female education in modern Japan. It is true that this image functioned as the strong grounds of educating girls as the members of the nation. Then another image of women in contrast to Ryo-sai-ken-bo was recognized. Being a hard-working wife and healthy mother (Do-sai-ken-bo) was presented as the alternative goal for the girls in group-based non-formal education. These changes in conception of ideals are entangled with several transitions such as working and education laws of women.

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[Reference 1]

 Watanabe. Y, Women, Work, and Education in Modern Japan An observation of the career life and the social role of Yayoi Yoshioka, pp. 30