Resulting from several of these developments of American society, women became a symbol of morality and domesticity even as they began to slowly defy these limited roles and enter the public sphere as educators, scholars, writers, and religious reformers. In many ways women broke ground for future ideas of equality and equity of gender during the 19th century, but the context of the early women’s education movements paints that these were not founded with such intentions. Middle- and upper-class families could better afford an education for their daughters, better preparing them for public involvement. Despite this opportunity, women’s influence outside of the home reflected what they were taught. As shown by writings on the curriculum of women’s colleges and seminaries, teachers and directors of women’s education focused upon the cultivation of students’ skills in domestic and religious services, which institutionally reasserted the subordination of women.