Mary Wollstone Craft

A VINDICATION OF RIGHTS OF WOMEN

Introduction:

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was a moral and political

philosopher whose analysis of the condition of women in modern
society retains much of its original radicalism.  

Best known for her Vindication of the Rights of

Woman (1792), It is often considered one of the first feminist
texts and has been an inspiration for feminist thinkers through the
ages. Although it is over 300 years old, many of the issues
Wollstonecraft raises are still debated today.

These include the difference in education between boys and girls,

why some traits are seen as male and some female, and how
women should be part of the democratic process.
A vindication of the Rights of
Woman:
Wollstonecraft begins Vindication by saying that she's
been feeling depressed lately. After looking at the
history of humanity, she has decided that men and
women are either very different or history has been
extremely unfair to women. In the end, she decides that
the lack of good education for women is the biggest
cause of misery in the world.
 
Key Idea #1:

Women should not

be looked down on as
second-class citizens.
Ever since the Bible said that Eve was made from a piece of
Adam’s rib for his entertainment, women have been considered
mere servants to men. But if we want a fair society, this notion has
got to change.

A first step would be for women to be better represented in

society; for instance, by having a greater voice in literature.

Men have always been able to express their views on women,

perpetuating the idea that they’re lesser than men. Meanwhile,
women have rarely been able to voice their disagreement.

Such behavior is deemed unladylike. So, to prevent any kind of

disagreement, women were often given mind-numbing stories to
read and denied any educational materials that might help them
think critically.
 
Women in Government:
Ensuring that women had more meaningful
representation in government would be another step in
the right direction. Governments composed solely of
men often fail to even consider the rights of women.
Wollstonecraft says that women should be given the
right to vote and also to participate in the politics.
Virtue:
 
Women are merely taught to appear virtuous. That is,
they’re taught to focus on their beauty and grace rather
than on their ability to reason and the intellectual
power that would command true respect. There are
many men who have argued over the ages that women
don't have enough mental strength to become morally
good on their own: they need the guidance of men. But
Wollstonecraft believes that if women have souls, then
they must have the same rational powers as men
Key Idea #2: Girls should receive
the same education and
opportunities as boys.
From an early age, boys and girls are taught that they’re not
equal, a lesson that’s perpetuated throughout their lives.

To combat this misconception, girls should go to school

alongside boys and study all the same subjects as them. Not
just that, but these schools should also be public so that
they’re full of kids from different backgrounds.

In playgrounds girls are discouraged from developing their

physical strength. While boys are told to go out and play in
the fields, developing a healthy physique from a young age,
girls are made to stay indoors and play with dolls.

By exaggerating the disparity in strength between women

and men, society is simply making girls more dependent on
boys. Beyond that, dressing up their dolls to be pretty only
confirms for young girls that looks are the only important life
pursuit.
The biggest challenge to women's education seems to be the belief that
women should be kept innocent like children and taught nothing other
than the skills for pleasing their future husbands
 
Wollstonecraft blames the men of her time (especially Jean Jacques
Rousseau) for promoting a type of education that makes women
completely useless as members of society.
 
In the current system, women are only able to learn about the world by
looking at the surfaces of things. They are never taught how to figure out
larger patterns from individual observations, so they all just end up being
superficial and shallow. The same is true of military soldiers, who are
taught only how to follow orders and who don't have any core reason or
virtue guiding what they do. They live on the surface of life, according to
Wollstonecraft.
 
Key Idea #3: Women are
kept mentally and
physically weak to
facilitate their
oppression.
Men are allowed to suppress the status of women in order to exert
their own power. For the most part, these men either want to keep
women as sexual objects or are simply bullies with the sole
goal of absolute control.
 
That’s why these men think women should only focus on being
attractive to men.
After all, women are taught to measure their value based on their
ability to secure a desirable husband, and getting a good
husband means being pretty and docile.

This focus on marriage and aesthetic upkeep that is forced upon

women in place of knowledge causes them to become vicious and
cruel under their controlled and calm exteriors. It also puts women
in a perpetual state of competition with one another and prevents
them from forming caring bonds or learning through discussion.
For example: Imagine a man’s single sister moves in with her
brother and his wife only to be kicked out by the wife, who feels
threatened by another female presence – even if she poses
absolutely no threat to her marriage.

Because of such fears, women are often sneaky and deceitful to

their male companions as they believe such tactics are key to
maintaining these relationships. In turn, men use this behavior to
justify their harsh treatment of their wives.

If women were simply taught to view themselves as equal with

men, both in body and in mind, it would not only benefit their own
well-being but also that of their husbands – and their marital
relationships as well.
Key Idea #4: Equal rights
would encourage more
stable and loving
relationships between
men and women (Ideal
Marriage)
A man’s relationship with his wife is molded by the inequality of
the sexes, and men often treat their wives solely as a necessary
means to procreation or a fashionable accessory.

Instead, men and women should forge friendships and not just
love affairs. Such a practice would establish stronger and more
sustainable bonds.

If women only appear morally virtuous and don’t have a proper

understanding of morals and virtue, men will be inclined to treat
them poorly and dismissively, especially if they happen to reject
the virtues women have had projected onto them.
On the other hand, if women could truly acquire
virtue and morals in the way that men do, they
would earn the respect of the other sex.
Friendship between men and women will only
be possible when the sexes can interact as
intellectual equals.
“Make women rational creatures,
and free citizens, and they will
quickly become good wives; - that
is, if men do not neglect the
duties of husbands and fathers.”
Key Idea #5: Greater
rights for women would
benefit society as a
whole.
So, women should have greater rights than they do,
but not so that they can overpower men. Rather,
increasing the rights of women is necessary to put
them on a fair footing with men and enable them to
equally contribute to the world around them.

"I do not wish [women] to have power over men;

but over themselves."
 
If women were men’s equals, they would be better able to
bring up children and raise future generations. To this end,
equal access to education would have a particularly
strong impact. Well-educated women would be able to help
their children with their studies.

when treated equally, women would be able to take up

matters of great importance to the world, rather than simply
worrying about what to wear. They could become doctors
who cure previously lethal diseases. They would also be
better prepared to raise healthy children and prevent the
deaths of infants.
Conclusion:
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the trailblazing works
of feminism. Wollstonecraft’s work argued that the educational system
of her time deliberately trained women to be frivolous and incapable. She
posited that an educational system that allowed girls the same
advantages as boys would result in women who would be not only
exceptional wives and mothers but also capable workers in many
professions.

Wollstonecraft’s work was unique in suggesting that the betterment of

women’s status be effected through such political change as the radical
reform of national educational systems. Such change, she concluded,
would benefit all society.
“My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if I
treat them like rational creatures,
instead of flattering
their fascinating graces, and viewing
them as if they were in a state of
perpetual childhood, unable to stand
alone.”

― Mary Wollstonecraft