I actually read the following gem in an "academic" article: Charedim teach their girls Torah in order that they should remain illiterate [defined BTW as unable to read or write. The only frum girls I know who can't read or write are six years old and under]. All designed by the male hegemony to make sure that they maintain their power.
So the history must look like this: Sarah Schenirer went to the Gedolim of her time and said "Girls and women know too much Torah because we don't teach them anything. This can be threatening to men. Let us teach them Torah for twelve years of intense schooling so that they will be illiterate. This way men will be to take advantage of their ignorance and control them."
The Gedolim readily agreed. Nothing like educating in order to promote ignorance. We also feed our girls so that they should remain hungry. We clothe them so that they should remain naked. We take them to the doctor so that they should remain ill. And so on and so forth.
