A Vindica1ion of the Rights of Woman

with Strictures on Po;itical and Moral Subject s

Mary Wollstonecraft

Copyrigh t ((. Jonathan Ben nett 20 17. /\ll I igh t~ rcsc-rved

lnrar k1•tsl enclose editoria l expla nations. Sllla ll ·dots· enclose mate1·ial that nas been added. but ca n b e read as
though it were part of the original text. Occ. 1siona l •bu llets, a nd al50 indenting of pc1ssagcs t.h ;:it JIT not qu ol;:iUons.
a re meant as a ids lo grasping the structu re of a sentenre or a th ought C:\.cry four -point ell1pis .... indicates lhc
omission of a brief passage th at seem s to presen t more difficulty than it 1s worth. Longer omissions a re reporteJ
between brackets in normal-sized typc.- IJ th is work gets you inlen .:sled in 1ls a u th or, read. Claire Toma lin's fine
The Life a nd Dea th of Mary Wol lstonecraft l 197 4).
First la unch ed : April 201 0

Contents
De dicatory Lette r 1

Introduction 4

Ch a pter 1: Human rights and the dutie s they involve 7

Chapte r 2: The prevailing opinion about s exua.l differences 12

Cha pte r 3: The same subje ct c ontinue d 26

Ch apte r 4 : Th e s tate of de gradation t o which woman is re duce d by va·rious c ause s 36

 /
''/
·/ T he Rights of Woma n Mary Wollstonecraft

Chapter 5: Writers who have rendered women objects of pity, bordering on contempt 53
Section l: Rou sseau 53
Section 2: Fordyce .. . . 61
Section 3: Grego1y . . . . 62
Section 4: Some wo·ne n 65
Sect ion 5: Chesterfield . 66

Chapter 6: The effect that an early association of ideas has on the chnracte! 71

Chapter 7: Modesty comprehensively considered and not as a sexual virtue 75

Chapter 8: Morality undermined by sexual notions of the importance of a good reputation 80

Chapter 9: The pernicious effects of the unnatural distinctions established in society 85

Chapter 10: Parental Affection 89

Chapter 11: Duty to Parents 91

Chapter 12: National education 93

Chapter 13: Examples of the harm done by women's ignorance 99

Section 1: Charlatans . . 99
Section 2: Novel-reading . 101
Section 3: Dressing up . 103
Section 4: Sensibility .. 103
Section 5: Ignorance about child -care . 104
Section 6: Concluding thou gh ts . . . . 1O~i
__ ______________ - - -- -
The Rights of Woman
___::;;__ Ma1y Wollstonecraft
Chapter 9:
The, pernicious effects of the unnatural distinctions established i1n society
Mos t of the evils and vices that rnakc this world s u ch a
dreary scene to the contempla tive mind f1ow- as from a
poisoned fountain--from the respect µ,1id to property. For
it is in the most polished society lhc1t s tinking rept iles ;:ind
venomous serpents lurk under lhe na sty foliage: and there is
voluptuousness pampered by the st ill s ultry air. sl;:ickening
every good disposition before iLhas time lo ripen int o virtue.
One class presses on another; for they a rc all aiming lo
get respect on account of their property: ;:ind once they liavc
that it will bring them the respect that is really due only
to talents and virtue. Men neglect their huma n dulJes, yet
are treated like demi-gods; religion is also separat' ~d from
morality by a ceremonial veil; yet men are s urpri~:ed that
the world is, almost literally speaking. a den of cheats or
oppressors.
There·s a shrewd truth in the homely proverb trial who-
ever the devil finds idle he will employ. And what can h~red-
ilary wealth and titles produce except habitual idleness?
Man is so constituted that he.can a ttain a proper use of his
facu lties only by using them, and he won't use them unless
the wheels are first set in motion by some kind of nc·cessity.
Virtue also can be acquired only by the performance of one's
duties to others; but the importance of these sacred duties
will hardly be felt by someone who is cajoled ou l of his
humanity by U1c nattery of sycophants. There must he more
equa lity established in society, or mora li ty will never gain
ground: a nd U1is virtuous equality will not rest firm! even
when founded on a rock, if one ha lf of mankind arc chained
to its bottom by fate, for they will be conlinually under mining
it through ignorance or pride. [That sentence is vt'rbatim MW.]
85
- -- · - - -
'I
9: Unnatural distinctions
.I
You cnn't expect virtue fro.n v. omen until they are to
some extcn't indepcndeat of men: i11deed, you can't expect
the strengt h of natural affection that wu1.,;.ld make them good
wives and good mot.hers. \V:1ile th(:y absolutely depend on
their 1rnsbands, they will be cunni:1g, mean, and selfish,
and tht men who can be gratified by U1e fawning fondness
· of spaniel-like affecti.on don't have much delicacy~because
love is no1 to be b r.mght.... : its silken -w ings are instantly
shrivelled up when anything is sought other than a return
in kind. But while wealth e:iervates men, and women live
(so to speak) by their personal char:.1.1s, how can we expect
them to perform the ennobdng duties that equally require
exertion and sdf-der.ial? H~rcdita,y property perverts the
mind, and the unfortuna~e victims of hereditary property (if I
may call them 'victims'), swathed from their birth, seldom get
either body or mind moving: so they view everything through
one mediu m, and that a ~alse or.e; so they can't tell what
true merit and happiness consist in. False, indeed, must be
the light when the drapery of situation hides the man, and
makes him stalk in masquerade, ci ragging from one scene
of dissipation to another the nerveless limbs that hang with
stupid listlessness . and rolling round the vacant eye that
plainly tells us tha~ there is no mind at home. [That ~plendid
senlence is v~rbalim MW. ] . w
My point is that a society i~·n·t orope-:-ly organized if it
dcesn't campel. in.en and WOJ11en to perform their respective
dut.it:s, by making that their only route to being viewed by
their fellow creatures in the way that every human being
wants. So th,~ respect that is µaid to wealth and. mere per-
sonal charms is a t1ue north-easterly blast that blights the

The Rights of Woman Mary Wollslonecraft
tender blossoms of affection a nd virt uc. Nature h , wisely
1"
attach ed •affections lo •duties, to nrnkc tilt' w o 1-1<. swee ter
and to give to the exertions of reason tl 1r vigour tha t only the
hea rt can give. But when someone who doesn't perform 'he
duties that go with a certain affection nevertheless put s c 1
the affection merely because it is the trade-marl< of ;:i certr1in
·kind of. character. this is one of the empty compliments
th at vice and folly are obliged to pay to virtue a11Cl the real
nature of things.
For example: when a woman is admired for hn beauty,
and allows herself to be so intoxicated by Uw admiration s h e
receives that she neglects to discharge the indispen~able duty
of a mother. she sins against herself by neglecting to develop
an affection that would equa[ly t~nd to make her u seful and
happy. True happiness-I mean all the contentment a nd
virtuous satisfaction that can be snatched in this imperfect
state-must arise from well regulated affections and an
affection includes a duty. Men aren't aware of tte mi~ery
they cause, and the vicious weakness they encourage, by
only inciting women to make themselves pleasing: U1ey
don't conside r that they are making na Lura! and artificial
duties clash by sacrificing the comfort ,md rcspectalJility of a
woman's life to voluptuous notions of beau ty. when in nature
they all harmonize.
It would be a cold-hearted husband . or one 1:1aclc unnat-
ural by early debauchery, who didn't feel more delight at
seeing his child breast-fed by its mother lhan the mo~t artful
wanton tricks could ever raise: yet wea lth leads women to
spurn this natural way of cementing t11c matrimoni.tl tie and
weaving esteem in with fonder recollections .... The maternal
care of a reasonable affectionate woman puts us on her side;
and the chastened dignity with wlticb a m other rel urns the
caresses U1at she and her child receive from a fal.her who
has been fulfilling the serious du ties or his pos ition is not
86
.'
t 'I
9: Gnm:tural distinctions
only wor1hy of .respect but is a beautiful sight. . . . I have
viewed with pleasure a woman nursing her children, and
performing the riuties of her positi0n with, perhaps, merely
a servant maid lo take off her hands the servile part of the ,
household business. I h ave seen her prepare herself and 1
children, wilh only the lukury of deanliness, to receive her
husband who, returning home weary in the evening, found
smilir.g babes and a dean hearth ....
While my bencvole nrc has bee 1 gratified by contemplat-
ing this artless pic1.ure. I have thought that a couple of
t his description . ... posse!"sed r11l t trnt life could give. Raised
above abject poverty enough not to be obliged to think about
every farthing they sper,d, and having enough to save them
from h aving to manage a frigid system of economy that
narrows both heart anc: rn.ind. In my plain thoughts I don't
know what els~ is needed to make this the happiest as well
as the most respect-worthy situation in the world-except
for •a taste for literature, to throw a little variety and interest
into convernation, and •some surplus money to give to the
needy and to buy books. ,: ..
Riches and inherited honour -; are destructive to the
human ch aracter, and arc even w0rsl: for women than for
m en, beca use men can $till to ~.,)me extent unfold their
faculties by becoming soldiers and stc\tesmen.
[]VfW goe~ on to say that soldiering has lost its glory
and been reduced to mere fine-tuning of the balances of
power on the Eur0pean continent. Statesmen can do a little
better, moving .from gambling.to government, and using the
.same skills for each. Then:]" The whole system of British
politics--calling it a ·system' is·mere politeness-consists in
multiplying dependents a:1d con triving taxes that grind t he
poor to pamper. the rich; thus,a wa r 01 any wild-goose-chase
is a bit of gooct luck for the minister, whose chief merit is the
a rt of keeping him!.>elr in place. ·
'. / · The Rights of Woman Mary Wolbtonecraft
!Then a scornful µaragraµh about h ow a minister can µly
his trade. pretending to carr abo ut the poor a nd un.• ortunalc
but doing nothing for them . MW colllinucs :I Let me return to
the more specious slavery that cha in s the very soul cf woman.
keeping her for ever under the bonda~c of ignorance.
The preposterous distinctio .1s or rank that make civi-
lization a curse by dividing the \\,Orld between •volup tuous
tyrants and •cunning envious dependents corrupt every class
of people almost equ a lly; because the respect a person gets
depends only on his rank. and nnt to his performa n ce of
his duties to others: a nd,when the duties a re neglected the
affections can't gain enough stren gth to fo rt ify the virtue of
which they are the natural reward. There are some loop-h oles
out of which a man may creep. and dare to think and act for
himself; but for a woman it is a Herculea n task bec,wse the
female sex faces difficulties of its own that requin: almost
superhuman powers to overcome.
A truly be nevolent legislator always tries to m:lke it in
the interests of each individual to be virtuous; this malces
private virtue become the cement of public h appinesE,, so that
an orderly whole is consolidated by the tendency of all the
parts towards a common centre. But the private or public
virtue of women is very problematic because many m a le
writers, including Rousseau,· insis t that a woIY.an s hould
throughout h e r life be s ubjected to the severe res traint of
propriety. Why subject h er to propriety-blind proi:,riety- - if
s he is capable of actin g from a nobler spring, i.e. if she h as
inhe rited immorta lity !see Glossary)? ....
!MW returns to h er old theme of women being given the
wrong kind of atte ntion by men etc. One item in this is new:
The laws respecting woman, which I mean to discu.::is in a
future part, make an absurd unit of a man and his wife;
a nd then by the easy trans ition of cons idering only him as
responsible she is reduced to a mere cipher, •a nothing·.
87
B: Unnatural distinctions
[Then a great dea l more of the 0ld 1heme. In the course
of dealing w.ith Rousseau ·s state:i 1cn l. that women's lower
status is s hown by tht' fact that th1-y cctn't fight in wars, MW
rema rks 'n passing t:ial 'defensive war' is "the only justifiable
war' . And s h e works lier way arour.d to a brief consideration
of th~ poof:] Wha~ ca n be a mo1 e rnelanch:Jly sight to a
thinking mind thar.. to look into lhe numerous carriages
that drive helter-ske lter about Lor.don in a morr.lng, full of
pale-Laced CP~a~ures who ctre flying from themselves. I have
often wished, with Dr John son, t,J place some of them in
a Uttle ,s b op :wi.th half a dozen c!1ll dren looking up to their
languid cuuntcna11ces fo r st:pport. Jf t!1fl,t h appened, I th ink
tlrnt some: late.n1 vigour would socm give health and spirit tci
their eyes; anci some lines drawn b y th e use of reason on the
blank cheeks .... might restore lost dignity to the ch aracter,
or rather en able it to a ttain· the trur : dignity of its nature ... . .
Besides, when pcverty is more disgraceful even than vice,
isn't morality cut to the quick? Still to avoid misconstruction,
though I consider ihat wo~en ill the common walks of
life are called by religion and reason to :fulfil the duties
of wives a nd mot hers, I can't help lamenting that wom en
higher up i:he social scale:don't have a roa d along which
they can punsue more extensive plans of usefulness and
independence ... '. I re811Y think (don't la ugh!) that wome n
oaght to have •parliamentary· r epresen tatives, instead of
being arbitrarily governed withot:.t being allowed any direct
s ha re in the del!beraUons of government. This is just a hint;
I mean to purnue t : at some future time.
But the whole system of 'representation' in this country is
a t present only a.. convenient label for despotism; so women
needn't complatn, ber.ause they are as well represented as
a numerous class cf hard,working m echanics who pay for
the s upport of royalty when they can scarcely put bread in
their children's m ouths. Men whose very sweat •supports
The Rights of Woman Mary Wollstoner.rafl
- - -- - - - - -
the s plendid horses of the heir apparc11I to the throne, or
•varnishes the chariot of some female favourite ·of Lile king"s·
who looks down on shame-how are they represented? Taxes
on the very necessities of life enable an endless tribe of idle
princes and princesses lo pass with stupid po1np before a
gaping r.rowd. who a lmost worship tlic very 1rnrnclc Urnt
co8ts them so dea r. This is mere barbarous ~:randcur.
something like the useless parade of sentinels un h orseback
at Whitehall. which I could never see without ;1 mixture of
contempt and indignation.
How strangely must the m.ind be sophisticated when this
sort of state impresses it! But u ntil these .no11unwnts of folly
are levelled by virtue. similar follies will leaven the whole
niass. For the same characlcr, In some dq;n.:c, will 1ircv;1!1
in the aggregate of society: and the refinements of l11xury, or
the vicious rcpinlngs of envious pove rty, will equally banish
virtue from society, considered as the characteristi c of that
society. or only allow it lo appear as one of the stripes of th :::
harlequin coat worn by the 'civilized' man.
In the upper ranks of society every duly is pt rformed
by deputies (as though duties could be transferred!). and
the pointless pleasures that the res.1lting idlenef;s forces
•the rich lo pursue appear so enticing lo the next rank that
the numerous scramblers for wealth sacrifice cve11,t hing to
tread on •their heels .... Women. in particular, all w.mt to be
ladies. Which is simply to have nothing to do except listlessly
to go they hardly care where. for they cannot tell what.
'But what have women lo de' in society' 1 111ay I 1e asked
·but to loiter wiU1 easy grace? Surdy you wouldn't C'ondemn
them a ll to breast-feed fools and keep household a1:counts!'
No. Women might certainly study the art or lieali11g, and be
·well paid· physicians as well as ·very poorly paid nurses.
And there is also midwifery.
88
9: Unnatural distinctions
They might also study politics, and settle their benev-
olence on the broadest basis ; for the reading of history
will hardly b<:> more useful than the reading of romances
if the histoc:,r is read as w.ere biogra phy and the character
of the times, the political imprcveme:.nts, arts. etc. a r e not
obsenre<i. Tllr. prnfii.ablc 8pproaclt lo his•~ory regards it as
the his t01v of nian, anJ not of particular men who filled a
niche in the tdnµlc of farrie and th.:n dropped into the black
rolling stream cf time that silently sweeps a ll before it. ...
Women might also pursue bu~iness of various kinds if
they.were edu~ated in a more·oh:lerly manner, and:that inight ·.-,
save many fro:r, commo:1 or legal prostitution [I.e. from actual
prostitution or ma1 rylng in order to have t ·conomic security!, ...
[MW r,.: marks that an t;nma.rrkJ woman may have had
honourab le reaso ns for choosing nol lo marry, and others
may have been unable lo .marry. She continues :] So It's
a very defective government-one :hat entirely neglects lhe
haµpine[w. of one half of its public-that doesn't provide
for hone.st inc.ependent women hy encouraging them to
occupy respectable positions in S( de~'. But to make their
1
private virtue a public benefit, they must-whether married
or single---have a ::ivil existence in the state....
The most respect-worthy women are the most oppressed;
this is a rne1ancholy truth - about -the blessed "e ffects of
civiliza::ion! T reating them like cont•:mptible beings will make
them become contemµtible, unless 1hey have understandings
mud1 above the avP-ragc for !Jum; ,nily (both sexes) . Many
women waste life away. the prey (If d it;content, when they
might have practised ns phybicians , rnn a farm, or managed
a shop, and slood UJJright suppoct·.~d by their own industry,
insleud of hanging their hcadst . ..
The woman who earns her own bread by fulfilling some
duty deserve:.s much more respect than the most accom-
plished beauty!. ... - I sigh t.o think how few women try to
The Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft
attain this respect-worthiness Ly withdrawing fro111 the giddy
whirl of pleasure. or the lazy cairn thal s lupdics the good
sort of women il sucks in.
Proud of their weakness. however. they must ,dways Le
protected (·they think·). guarcln.l from care and ;1l1 lhc rough
toil~- that dignify the mind. If this is wha t ra1c ordains-- if they
che>ose to make themselves insignific.111t and conklllptible,
sweetly wasting life away, let tl1c111 not expect to bl' valued
when their beauty fades, for the fairest !lowers arc pulled to
µieces by the careless hand that plucked them ... .
The most useful writers. in my opinion. are the ones who
make man feel for man, independent or hi!:i social position
and of the drapery of false sentiments. So 1 would like to
convince reasonable men of the importance of some of my
remarks, and prevail on them to weigh disµassionately the
Chapter 10:
Parental Affection
Parental affection is perhaps, the blindest kind oJ perverse
self-love. Parents often love their children in the m ost brutal
[see Glossary] manner, and sacrifice every duty to anyone else
in order to promote their children's advance ment in the
world. The a im to promote the future welfare oJ the very
beings whose present existence they embitte r by the most
despotic stretch of power-that"s a sign of how perverse an
unprincipled prejudice can be.
In fa ct. every kind of power . . .. wants to rcig1t \vithout
control or inquiry. Its throne is built across a dark a byss that
89
10: Parental Affection
! I
over -all position that I have been defen,ding. I appeal to ,;
their understandings; and as a fellow-creature I claim, in ·
the name of my sex. some interest in their hearts. I entreat
them to assist tc emancipate theii· companion to make her a
helpmate for them!
If only n1en vmuld generously break C'Ur chains and be
content with ra~iunal fello•.vship i n:,tcad of slavish obedicuce,
they would find us more observant daughters, more affection-
ate sisters, more faithful wives. more reasonable mothers- in
a word, better citizens. We would then love them with true
affection. because we would learn to respect ourselves; and ,
a worthy man's peace of mind wouldn't be interrupted by
the idle vanity of hi~ wifl~. and his babes wouldn't be sent to ,
nestle in a sL-ange bosom because they never found a home :
in their mother's.
no eye must dare to explore, for fear that the baseless fabric
might totter und~r investigation. Obedience, unconditional
obedience, is ~he catch -word of tyrants of every description,
a11d t o m ake 'assurance doubly sure,' one kind of despotism
supports another. Tyra nts ~ould have cause to tremble if
reason we::-e to b~come the rule of I luly in any of the relations
of life, for the light might spread I inti! perfect day appeared.
And when it did appear, m~n would smile at the sight of
the bugbeacs that had made them jump during the night of
ignorance or the twilight of timid inquiry. . . . ·

Tile rughts of Woman Mary Woll ·,ton ecfafl _____ _
Chapter 13:
Examples of the harm done by women •s 1·gnorance
TI1erc are many follies that c1rc to some extent women's
foJlfes-sfns against reason . 01 commission as W(>ll as of
omission-but all flowing from ignorance or pref udlce. I
shall point out only five of tlwm that appear to bt h<lrmful
lo the woman·s moral character. In criticizing llum I want
cs µeciaJly to show Iha! tht" wec1kncss of mind and !Jody that
men have tried to perpetuate in •women prevents •them
from dJschargtng !he> special duty of their sex: for when
weakness of body won't Jet them breast-feed their children,
and weakness of mind makes them spoil their tempt!rs-is
woman in a natural state?
l : Charlatans
One glarin g instance of the weakness U1at co1nes from
ignorance calls for severe reproof.
1. In this city a number of lurkJng leeches wickedly make
their living by exploitJng wom en 's credulity. clal m i, 1g to ·cast
naUvttles·. to use the technical p hrase (= ·to drAw u p horoscopes.
makJ11g prediction s ou the basis of astrology'}; and many fe m a les
who are proud of their ra nk and fort u ne, and I,m k down
on the vulgar /see G l ossary] with s over eign conte mpt, s how by
their credulity tha t the dis tinc tion •between them ~elves and
the vulgar • ls arbitrary. and that they have not s ufficiently
cul tiva ted tlJ ei r minds to rise a bove vulgar p r ejud ices. Be-
cause worrJe n h a ven't been Jed •to regard the knowle d ge o f
their duty as the one th Jng necessary to kn ow, or • to live in
he present 11101n en t l..Jy doing their duty. they are anxious
J peep i nto the fu ture, to lear n w.hat they h ave to expert to
akc life interesting. and to break the vacuum of ignoran"c.
99
'"-norancc
13: Ha1;E..do~ bJ wome n's ...:.S!'----
t 3.Shumtrd to c\rtve in thetr
If any of t hest" ladies who ar~ no tng man should read
th
own carrla~cs to the. d oor ~f \ ~u~~ following questions.
this work. l beg them to a ns w of God
rrml'mberlng that they :ue in the preRen ce ,
one God and that he
•Do ycu believe that there i<:- only '
ls powl~rfu l. wts'-~ c1nd good ) :t d by hlm
•De, yo u heUeve that all things were crea: c
and that a ll t,etngs depend on him? .
• ·1 0 you rely on his wisdom (which ls so consp,cuO'Uti
in his wor~. lr..cl~dlng your own body)? and are yo~
conv'~nced , that. he has ordered all the things tha
don't 'comc within the range of your senses in the
same p erfect harmony to h llfil his designs?
•Do you acknowled~e that the power of looking lnto
the futur e-, and s~elng things that are not a:s lf they
were, is aH attribute of the Creator? And U he does
ever want to impa rt to his creatures a knowlr.dge o(
some ever1t that hasn't yet happened, to whom would
he reveal the secret! by immediate \nsplratlon?
The opinion of the ages "',ill answer that \ast question: he
wm reveal it to reverend old men., to pcop\c d\stlngu\shed {Gt
eminent piety.
.
lMW says that the prtests ef the anc\ent Greek and Roman
religions w~re 'impostors' who were used by po\\tl.c\ans to
keep the populace quiet a-ad"mal\eab\e, and \n tha' context
U1ere was son1e e..xcuse for peov1e who tr\eu to \e.arn about
the future frc,m oracles.) But can a Chrtstl.an sup-pos.e \h~\t
God's favourites- the ones he chose ·to reveal soni.e o{ h\$
future plans·-would lurk in d\s gu\se, and practise the \nos\
The Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft
d is honest tricks to cheat si lly wo1nc11 ou t of tl1c mu11cy that
the poor cry fo r in vain:
[S ll e rails against th e 'foolish wu1nc11· w h o n·snrt lo ;.1s -
trologers. saying that this conduct is in co nsistent with ·you·-
rcligion . such as it is·. add ing that these women arc ~,o fool ish
that they probably wouldn t undci-s tand her ii s h<' tried Lo
show that astrology is 'absolutely inconsistent with the gra nd
purpose of life·. She then tries a d iffe rent tack. from which
she moves on to a different kind of charlatan:!
Perhaps. h owever. you devoutly believe in tl1t' cfrvil. m1d
imagine that h e m ay assis t th ose who a rc devoted to him?
But if you really respect the l-J0Wer of sucl 1 a being. who is a n
enemy to good~ess a nd to God. can you go to cl.urch after
h aving b een under such an obligation to h im?
2. There is a natural transition from t,h cse delus ion s to tLe
still more fashionable deceptions practised by the wl tole tribe
of magn etisers. [These people used so-catled ·an ima l magnetisin'- -i.e.
hypnotism-as a supposed means to ruring various ills . The p recess was
also called ·mesmerism·. after the Austrian Dr Mesmer. who popularised
it.] With res pect to them. a lso, it is proper to ask wom en a
few questions.
Do you know anything about the construction of the
huma n body? If not, you should be to ld something that
every cl:iJld ought to knm,v, namely that when the body's
a dmirable sys t em has b een disturbed by int empe rance or
inactivity-I'm talking n ot about violent disorders, but about
chronic diseases- it must be rel urned Lo a h ealthy s tate by
s low degrees. If the functions of life hc1vcn't been materia lly
injured ·so that recovery is impJssible- . the only ways that
h ave yet b ee n discove red for recove1ing that inestima ble
blessing. health -or a nyway the only ones that w ill b ear
investigation-are U1ro u gh a regimen of temperance, air,
exerc is e, and a few medicines µn· scribcd by persons w h o
have studied the huma n body .
100
13: Harm done by women's ignorance
--------------
Do ym1 b eli eve that these magnetisers , who by hocus-
pocus tricks 1Jrctcnct to work a miracle, arc •delegated
by God . or "a&sisted by the sol\'er of all tl1ese kinds of
cl iffkulties- -the devil?
\Vhen the 'm agnetisers put to /light (so they claim) dis-
orders that h ave baff\ed the powr:rs of medicine, are they
working in con formity to the ligh t of reason? Or do they
bring about these wonderful cures by supernatural aid?
A magnetis,er may a nswer 'We do it by communicating
with the w0rld of spirits'. A nobl e privilege. we must ad-
mit!.. ·; . These men are very fortunate in becoming ac-
quainted with such obligi ng spirits: b u t we can't give the
spirits much credit fot" wisdom nr goodness in choosing
th ese ignoble in,s trumcnts as means tu s h ow them selves the
benevole r1t fri ends of mari .
It is, however, lit~le s hort of blasph emy to cla im t o have
such power.
From the ever-all way that God runs the world, it seem s
eviden t to sober reason that certain vices produce certain
effects. C . .n anyone so grossly insu 1t God's wisdom as to
supp ose that a -·magnetising' • miracl e will be allowed to
disturL his general laws, restoring in temperate and vicious
people to h ealth merely to enable them to go back to their
o ld w ays wi~h impu ni 1_y? 'Be whole, a n d sin no more', said
Jesus [,101111 5: 14J . !\re g rec1ter mir:1cles to be performl..'. d by
those who do not follow in the foo •steps of him who healed
th e body in urder to reach the minJ?
The m ention of the name of Ch ris t a fter s u ch vile impos-
tors may d is please you-I r espect your warmth, but d o n't
forget tha t the followers of t11ese · 'magnetising'· delusions
bear his name, a nd profe:3s to be the disciples of him w h o
said By their fruits ye shall know them' [Matthew 7: 16). i. e.
know who arc the children of God a nd who a re the servants
of s in. It's certainly easier to •t0u ch the body of a sain t or
 to •be magnetised th:1n it is to •to restrain our appetites
or govern our passions : bat hcaJI h of body or mind can
only be r ecover ed by those restraints . I f there Is anothPr
way~· thro u g h 'magnetlsing·•-tl1en th<" Suprc-mc Judge is
partial a nd revengeful . l'µar11ar in th<' sC"mw ol showing favoritism:
·n-vc.-11ge-ful'-MW's prt-matur<" cho!c<" ol thal won.1 Is f'xplatned 111 1hr" next
two par agrap h s. J
Is God a man. that he should d1ange. or punish o ut of
resen tment? Reason tells us tha t God-our common fa ther-
w o unds only in orde r to heal: o u1· irregu larities p rod uce
certain consequences, and that forcibly s h ows us u1 c-
of vice. In that way we learn from cxµer:e n ce to k n ow good
from evil. so that we will love on e and hat e the othe r in
proportion to our degree of wis dom . The pois on contai'1s
the antidote; and we either •re form ou r evil habits and stop
sinning agalnst our own bodies, to use the forc ib le langu age
of scripture l l Corinthians 6: 18I, or a premature dt: a th- the
punishmen t of sin - snaps the thread of life.
ThJs raises a question that is fri ghte ning to disc:uss, but
why should I conceal my views? Cons idering God's attrib utes,
l bclJeve that whatever punish ment may fo llow will I end, lik e
the anguis h of disease. to s how the m a lignity of vice, the
purpose of all this being reformation. Positive punis hmen t-
·i.e. punishment whose rationale lies wholly within itself
rather than in its relation to fts conscq uenc~s•--appears
to be contrary to the natu re of God that ca n discoverWf;
from hJs works and in our own reac.,on; .so co nt1 ary that
I would fi nd it easier to beJic,·e that •t he Detty paid no
attention to n1en's con duct than I hat •he p uuis h cd without
the benevolent d es1gn of reforming ....
I know that n1any devout people boast of ~ub1nltt1ng
blindly to God 's will, as to an arbitrary sceptre or rod ... .
In o ther words , like p eople in the cornn10n concerns of life
they do homage to power, and cringe under the foot that
can crush them. Rational r eligion . on the other hand, I
s ubmission lo :..he will of a b eing who \s s o perfectly w\t r that
all he wills m ust be directed by th e prope r motive mus\ b4·
reasouable.
And lf we re5pcct God tn t h1~ way. can we b el\eve the
mysterious· insinuations that In s ult h \s laws? Can we
b elieve-(':ven if it stares us in the fare- t.'1.a t God would
work a mirad1· t o ~ uthortse cc,nfu3ion by sa.nct\on\ng an
error? Yet we must r.ither allow these lm p\ous conclu sions.
or treat v.rith contempt every promise to (2) restore h ealth to
natur~ a diseased body by supernatur al m~an s. or to {l) foretell the
incidents that can only God can forest-e.
2: Novel-reading
Another instance of feminine weakness of character that \s
often produced by a confined edu-:.a Uo n ls a romantlc tw\st
of the m.tnc\ that has been very properly called ·sentimen t.al'.
Wome1 . . s~bJec ted by ignoran c ~ t u thetr sens atlons . and
taught to look for h appiness only in love , rcftne on sensual
feeling:..; and adopt metaphys lcal n '.1Uons about love that lead
them to neglect s:1amefully the duties of life, and frequently
in the .i;nictst of these lofty refinements they plunge into actual
Vice.
These are the won1en who pas :, their time w\.th the day-
dreams c f the stupid novelists who, knowing \\ttle of human
nature, work up stale tales ahd d !Scribe tarted-up scenes,
ah retailed in a sentimt-ntal jargon th&t corrupts the reader's
•taste and draws the •heart ·away fron1 its daUy duties. \
don't mention the •understanding. becau~ it has never been
exerclsed, so that its s\umbering energies rest tnact\vc ....
Because female~ are denied al\ political prtv\leges, anc
as married wonten .... arc dented e-,ren a c\v\l existence, the\
1
attention is naturally drawr.. fro1n the interests of the who
l
· The Rights of Woman Ma1y Wollstonecraft
community to the interesb oft he I iny parts .... Tlte mighty
business or female life is to please. and for them-blocked
by political and civil oppressic 1 n from entering int o mo1 c
important concerns--sentimenls become ·import;:i,nf - events.
When they reflect on t11ese feelings they inte11 :;i(v them;
whereas reflection •ought to erase them. and •would do so if
the t mderstanding were allowed to lake R wider range.
Confined to trivial activities. women naturally imbibe
the opinions expressed in the only kind or reading that
cc1n interf'st an innocent frivolous mind. U11;:ibk to grnsp
a nything great, they naturally find the reading of history a
very dry task, and find anything that is addressed to th e
understanding to be intolerably tedious and almost uni ntelli-
gible. So they have to depend on the novelist for amusement
[see G lossary!. When I criticize novels, I'm attacking 1hem as
contrasted with works that exercise the understanding and
regulate the imagination; ·I'm not sayh1.g that the reading
of novels is absolutely bad·. I regard any kind of reading
as better than leaving a blank still a blank, because the
nlind must be a little enlarged ,-ind ~1 little: ~tn:11glll, :1J1:d lJy
the slight exertion of its thinking powers •that nuvcl-rcading
may bring•. And even novels that arc ;;clclrcsscd on lv to the
imagination -and provide nothing lo think about· raise the
reader a little above the ·gross gratification of appetit es that
haven't been even slightly refined by the mind.
... .I knew a woman-as good a woman as her narrow
mind would allow her to be- who tool ~ care that her three
daughters should never see a rwve l. She was a woman of
fortune a nd fashion. so they had various masters to a ttend
them. and a sort of menial governess to watch their foo ts teps.
From the.ir masters they learned how tables , clrnirs, etc. are
called in French and Italian; but they acq uired ncilh1:r ideas
no r sentiments, because the few b:ioks thrown in (!icir ,vay
were either •far above their capacities or •devotional. When
102
. -
18: Harm done by women's ignorance
they wer~n·t being compelled to repeat words they sµent
their tirr..c in c',ressing. quarrelling \.\it~ each other, or secretly
conversing with their maids-until al last they were brought
into company as r.iarriageable.
Their mother, a widow. was busy in the meantime keeping
uµ her ·conneclions', as she called her acquaintances, so as
to ensure her girls a proper introdu clion into the great world.
And thes1: _voung la.dies. with spo1Jed temperamems and
minds that we1e vulgar in every se1 ise of the word. e,1.tered
life puffed u p with notions of thei r own importance and
contempt for anyone who couldn't compete with them in
Jress and parade.
As for love: nature or their nurses had taken care to
teach them the physical meaning of the word; and as they
had few topics of conversation and e'ten fewer refinements
of sentiment, they express,~d their gross wishes in not vel"'J
deli:ate phrases when they had free conversations about
marriage .. ..
T!ilt-! /~1 u11!y rm1: /111• fmw,~: /)Ill I !t :oJ/1'.I'/ IIIMJ1/ 1,/J,1 1
1 1
women whu, nul l1c1vl11g !Jctn •led gr;,dwdly lo pmp<:r !-11.wJJ<:.4
or •permitted lo choose for themselves, have indeed been
overgrown children. They may have obtained, by mixing in
the world, a little of what is called 'common sense', which is
a distinct manner of seeing common events as they stand
detached-- ·i.e. seetng each event in isolation·. What they
didn't have was anything deseIVin g Uw name 'intellect', the
power of gaining general or ab~tract id eas . ... Their minds
were quiescent, and when theywer,: n ot roused by sensible
objects and c:mployments ol that- kind they were lm,., ·spirited,
tea rful, or siecpy. ·
So when I advise my sex n~t to rec1.d such flimsy works
·as novels· . i~ is to induce them to read something better....

The Rights of Woman Mar-y Wollstonecraft
3: Dressing up
Ignorance. and the mistaken cu11n ing that natun: sharpen~
in weak heads as a means of self-preservation, make women
very fond of dress, and produce the vanity that s uch 2
fondness naturally generates. to the exclusion of spirited
attempts to grow and improve .
I agree with Rousseau that the physica l par1 of the art
of pleasing consists in ornaments: an.cl for _just t ha t reason
I want to guard girls agains t the co ntagiou s fondnc s~; for
dress that is so common to wea k women. so tha1 tbey L:on't
remain stuck in the physical part. Women who think they
can long please without the a id of the mind-i.e. without the
moral art of pleasing-must be weak indeed. The mora l a rt
is never accompanied by ignorance; it is essential ly different
from and superior to the sportiveness of innocence that is so
pleasing to refined libertines of both sexes. (It may indeed be
profanation to u se the word 'art' in connection wi1 h the grace
that is •an effect of virtue a nd not •the molive af actio,.1.)
[MW writes that a liking for One clothes and ornamen -
tation is 'natural lo manl<ind'-com.rnon t.o both sexes a n d
a ll sociaJ levels. (In the most barbarous st.1tcs only men arc
allowed to act on this : that our society a llows won,.:n to l ake
part in this too is 'a t least one step in civilisation' .) Wl1c11 the
mind is not sufflcicntly opened to take pleasure in reflection.
lhe body will b e a dorned with great car e, and ambitio11 will
appear in tattooing or pa ir.ting il.
[M\1/ discusses reasons why vanity about dress is in our
society more of a feminine than a masculine trail. The main
reason is jus t tha t men are a llowed t o h ave other inter ests .
a nd pursuits. whereas women a ren't. Also, a rn c=m can a void
clashing wi th most oth e r men, whereas women! ... a re a ll
rivals. Before m a rriage it is their business t o please m e 11 ;
a nd after marriage most or them follow the samt: scent, with
103
. it;, I
I
,: .:, ,
13: Harm r:l one by women's ignorance ,
- ----
a ll th~ persistence of im tinct. ER;n virtuous women never:
forget the ir sc.:x in comi:;any, for they areJalways trying to be:
agreeable. A fem2cle beauty and a inale wit seem to be eriuallyt
anxious to draw the attention of t he company to themselve~f1 ,
and the animosity of contemporary wi.ts'is 'proverbial. · J•
So it's n:ot surprising that the sole ambition of womr ~ ·
centres Lm beauty. .. and that there are perpetual rivalships.
They are all running the same race: they rise above the virtue
of n-.ortals if.they didn't .v iew ca ,:i.1 other with a suspicious
:-in d even envious eye ... 1
4: Sen.sil,ility
Women an: s upposed to have more sensibility [see Glossary)
than men and even more humanity, and their strong fl\-
tachments and instantaneous emotions of compassion ar.e
cited as proofs of this. But the clinging affection ofignoi-artce
seldom has a ny+hing noble in it; like the affections of children
and the lower animals it is mostly a form of selfishness. I
have known m:=my weak women whose sensibility was en-
tirely taken up Ly their husband s ; and as for their humanlty,
it was very faint indeed, or r a ther it was only 8. transient
emotion of compass ion, 'Humanity does not consist in a
8quearnis h ear ', says an eminent orator [Charles James Fox\. 'It
belongs to the mind as well as the nerves.'
This exclusive kind of affeciiun, though it degrades the
individual, shouldn't be offered as evidence of the inferiority
of the -ferna le· sex. because it i:._; the n atural consequence of
confined views. Even worn.en of superior sense, when their
attention is focussed on little employrne11ts a nd private plans,
rarel); rise· to heroism . . . . I,therefore agree with the m oralist
[Adam Smith! who says that women seld om h ave as much
generosity as men, and that their narrow a ffecti':m s-often
put aJ1ead of jus lice and humar,il:,r- make the sex apparently

The Rights of Woman Mary Wollstonecraft
inferior..... but I contend tlrnt the h eart wrnild o: 1,._tm.l a s
Lhe understanding gained stren gth if wu111c11 were not held
down from their cradles.
I know that a littl e sensibility and g reat weakness wi ll
produce a strong sexual allachmcnt != ·a s1rong attachment to
members of one·s mm sex/. and that friendship is made stronger
by reason; so more friendship is to be found in the male than
the female world. and men have a higher sense (lf justice .
The narrowly focussed affecti ons of women seem to resemble
Cato·s most unjust love for his co untry. He wishe d to crush
C::i.rthagc, not to save Rom e but to promo te its vc1inglo1y....
Bes ides. h ow can women be _j ust o r generous v.hcn they
are the s laves of injustice?
5: Ignorance about child-care
As the rearing of children- Le . the laying a foundation of
sound health both of body and mind in the rising generation-
has Justly been insisted on as the task especially assigned
to women, their ignorance about it mus t be contrary to the
order of things. If they are to become sensible mothers. I
contend, their minds will have to take in much more than
they now do, and they can do so . M,my men attend to the
breeding of horse~•. and supervise the managemE nt of the
•stable , and yet would .... think themselves degraded by pay-
ing any attention to the •nurse1y; yet ever so ma n.> children
are absolutely murdered [MW"s µhrasel by the igrn >ranee of
women! And oft hos e who escape lhat, and arc not destroyed
by unnatural n egligence or bl'nd fondness, very few are
m a naged properly with respect to the infant mind. A child's
spitit is allowed to b ecom e viciou s al home . so lhe child
is sent to school to have his or h er s pirit broken : a nd the
m ethods th e school u ses- and rn11 s t use t.o kee p a number
o r c hildren in order - scatter the seeds of a lmost < :very vice
J04
I.
l:i: Harm done by women's ignorance
in tn~ soil that h as been forc:ihly torn up.
!MW coin pa res this trcatmelll ol ch il d ren with the forceful
'breakir-..g· o1 a horse. Pe1b.aps the la tter is not permane11tly
inju1-ious to the horse, she says. but:] I am certain that
a child shou!d never be thus fo1-cibly tamed after it has
unwisely been allowetl to run v.ri ld; for every violation of
justice and reason in the treat:nent of children weakens
their reason. They catch a character [MW':; phrase] so early-
experience leads me to infer-th-it the base of the moral
character is fixed before their seventh year, the period during
which wo mFn are a llowed the sole m a11-agement of cl: ildren .
Afterwards it too often h a p pens that half the busincs:-; of
education is to t.ry tu correct U1e faults. t hat the children
would n e·1er h,we ar,quired if their mothers had had more
understa 11t.ling.
One s1rikin~ instance of the folly of women must be men-
tioned , namely their treatrr.ent of servants in the presence
of children, allowing t he children t o think that the servants
ought to wait on them and to put up with their moods.
A child :,hould always be made tc > receive assistance from
a man or wcman as a favour; and as the first lesson of
independ en ce ~hey s hould learn from their mother's example
not to require personal a ttendance that it is an insult to
humanity to require (unle:,s one is ill) . . . . I h ave often heard
servants imperio u s ly called to put children to bed, and sent
away again and again because master or miss hung aboul
mamma so as to sta:v up a little longer. ...
[MW concludes this subse~ti::>n with reflections on how a
W')man could be a good mother wl1ile also engaging in other
pursuitt; that would improve-her intellect and her morals.]
"
The Rights of Woman
Section 6: Concluding thoughts
!Thi:; subsecti on is µresC'nted exac tly as Mary Wulblonecrafl wrote it
(se: o nd edition of the work! Yo u ca n prolJablv t hink of r-e,1so ns there
mig ht be for doing this.I
It is not necessary to inform the sagacious reader. now I enter
on my concluding reflections. that the discussion of this
s ubject me rely consists in openi ng a few simp le princ iples,
and clearing away the rubbis h tha t obs('urt:d thern. But, as
a ll readers are not sagacious, I must be allowed to c1.rld some
explanatory remarks to bring the s ubj ect hurne to 1 easo n- lo
that s luggish reason, which s upinely La kes opinions on trust,
a nd obstinat ely supports them to s pa re its elf the la bour of
thinking.
Moralists h ave unanimous ly agr eed, U1at unless virtue
be nursed by libetly, it will never attain due s trength - and
what they say of man I extend to mankind, ins isti1 tg, tha t in
a ll cases morals must be fixed on immutable principles; and
that the being cannot be termed rational or virtuous, who
obeys a ny authority but that of reason.
To render women truly u seful members of socie l.y, I a rgue.
U-1at they should b e led, by h aving their understandings
cultivated on a la rge scale. to acquire a rational a ffection for
th eir country. founded on knowkdg·.\ because it 1s obvious,
that we are little interested abo ·1t what we do not understand.
And to m a ke this general knowledge of due importa nce, I
have endeavoured lo s how that private duUes a re neve r
properly fulfilled . unless the understanding 1~nlargcs the
heart; and that public virtue is only an aggregate of private.
Out . the distinc tions established in society undermine both .
by beating out th e solid gold of virtue. until if. becom es
only ilie tinsel-covering of vice; fo r, while ·wealtl t makes a
man more respectable than virtue. wealth will be sought
before virtue; a nd. while women's persons a re caressed,
Ma1y Wollslonecraft 13: Harm d'.mc by women's ignorance
---
when a childish s imper shows an absence of mind--the mind 1
will lie fallow. Yet, true voluptuousnes s must proceed from
the mind-for what <can equal th ~ fensations produced by
mutual affect:on. suµp ortP,d by mutua! respect? What are the
cold or feverish caresses of a ppetik , b ut sin embracing death,
compared ½it.h the modest overflowings of a p ure heart and
exalted imagina tion? Ye:;, let me t ell the libertine 0f fancy
when he des1jises understand ing ;n woman-that the mind,
wbich h e dtsrega rd5. gives life to the enthusiastic affec tion
from which rapture short-lived a~; it is , alone can flow! And,
that, without virtue, a sexual aLta,~hment must expire, like a
tallow c,mdle in the socket. creating intolerable disgust. To
prove this, I ne~d only obs: rve, th at. men who have wasted
great part of their lives with women, and with whom they
hwe soi 1ght for ple;::i_sure with eager thirst, entertain the
meaneE:t opinion of the sex. Virtue, true refiner of j oy! if
foolis h men were tQ fright thee f1 om earth, in order to give
loose to a ll their aopet.ites v,ithout a check-some ser.sual
wight of taste would scale the hea,·ens to invite thee back, to
give a ze-,t to pleasure!
fhat wo:nen at pn:sent are by ignorance made foolish
or vicious, is, I think, not to b e disputed; and, that the
most salutary ef;ects tending to improve mankind, might be ·
expected from a REVOLUT I ON in fomak manners, appears at
least, vrith a face of probability, to rise out of the observa-
tion. For as marriage h as been term ed the parent of those
endearing charities , whi<:11 draw man from the brutal h erd,
the co rrupting intercourse that wealth, idle ness, a nd folly
produce between the sexes~·~s more universally injuriou s
t.o morality, than all t he other vi, :es of mankind collectively
consicie·,· ed. To ::idult~rous lust 1he most sacred duties are
sacrificed, because, before marriage, 1,1.e n, by a promiscuo, ts
intim: .cy with women, learn ed to consider love as a selfish
gratification-learned to separate it not only from esteem,
105

The Rights of Woman Ma1y Wollstonecraft
--------
µated. or justify the authorily that cha ins such a weak bc .. 1g
to her duty. If lhc la tter. it will bt' exped ient le' open a fresh
trade with Russia for whips: a present that a ra t her should
always make to his son -in- law on his wcdclir.g cl8y. that a
husband may keep his whole fam ily ill order by the sam e
means: and without any violation of jus tice reigu. wielding
this sceptre. sole master of his house, because he is the only
being in it who has reason; the divine. indefeasible, earthly
sovereignty breathed into man by the Master of the universe.
Allowing this position, women have not a ny inhe rent r-ights
107
i' :I
' .
13: Harm done by ,women's ignorance
to claim; and, by the same rule their duties vanish, for rights
a nd dulics ::i.rc inseparable. .
Be just then. 0 ye rrien of unrlr.rstanding! and mark
not more severely what women do a miss, than the vicious
tricks of the hcrsc or the ass for whoP-1 ye provide provender,
and allow h er the µri•.ril eges of ignorance, to whom ye deny
the rights of reason, or ye will be worse than Egyptian
task-masters, expecting virtue where nature has not given
understa.nding1