Humanists (particularly in Italy, but also all over Europe) believed that the education of people needed to be changed and improved in a "modern" way. The wanted to place reason and action at the centre of education, as opposed to contemplation. They also wanted the individual to be at the centre of this transformation, not only institutions such as the church.
However, this program was generally reserved for men only. Most humanists believed women to be better off when focusing on traditional female education and female concerns such as those of domesticity. They believed that action and individualism were better suited to males.
