A Vindication of the Rights of Women

963 Words4 Pages
A Vindication of the Rights of Women Essay A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft is one of the earliest works of feminist ideals. In the text, Wollstonecraft deeply responds and criticizes many influential political theoreticians from the 18th century who did not believe that women should have the same basic rights as men. Her arguments vary from how women should contribute to society to how women should be treated in a relationship. All of her viewpoints not only played a crucial role in the feminist movement of her time, but also helped pave the way for modern feminist movements. One of the main points that Wollstonecraft touches upon in A Vindication of the Rights of Women is the issue regarding women and education. I believe this to be one of Wollstonecraft’s strongest points in the book. According to Wollstonecraft, individual education is extremely important and women should be allowed to pursue an education equal to that of men. This statement is extremely important because during the 18th century, many people believed that women were incapable of rational thought. Wollstonecraft states that education for women "will slowly sharpen the senses, form the temper, regulate the passions as they begin to ferment, and set the understanding to work before the body arrives at maturity; so that the man may only have to proceed, not to begin, the important task of learning to think and reason." Education is most important for women because it will help them obtain habits of morality that will cause the individual to be independent. Wollstonecraft views education as a system that needs to be improved nationally for both boys and girls. Her plan to reform education states that both boys and girls will attend the same school until age 9 where they will all dress the same, be treated the same and participate in the same field of study.

More about A Vindication of the Rights of Women

Open Document