A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraf
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a long essay or manifesto written in 1792 by the British author Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797). The essay is divided into 13 chapters where Wollstonecraft discusses the woman’s rights, most notable, her right to educate herself in a none-domestic manner. This is Wollstonecraft’s major thesis throughout the essay, that if the woman are to have equal rights as the man, it’s the educational right which is the most vital one.
Wollstonecraft states that women are situated with a subordinated position in the society, under the men, which makes it impossible for her to become independent. This position of the woman, she argues, is, according to men, her true natural position and her duty is to please and satisfy the man. This is a view held by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) which Wollstonecraft spends a great time to criticize in her essay. “Rousseau declares that a woman should never for a moment feel herself independent, that she should be governed by fear to exercise her natural cunning, and made a coquettish slave in order to render her a more alluring object of desire, a sweeter companion to man, whenever he chooses to relax himself.” Wollstonecraft traces this misogynous view back to the story of the creation in the Bible, where Eve was created by Adam’s ribs which deduce the fact that she was created for his convenience or pleasure and not for her own sake. This makes Wollstonecraft partly critical towards Christianity but it isn’t something that she focus on throughout the rest of the essay.
Another subject of discussion in Wollstonecraft’s essay is the picture of the woman as just a beautiful feature, meant to please the man. Wollstonecraft argues, that this type of dependent woman, with no ability to make decisions by herself, is not good for the society, and should therefore not be presented as the ideal woman. She argues further, that a mother with no independence will not be able to raise her children to strong citizens. If women are not educated as men are, following generations will suffer.
Throughout her essay, Wollstonecraft states that girls are already from their infancy nursed in one way and boys in another which still today issues and concern many feminists among the world. “Women are told from their infancy, and taught by the example of their mothers, that a little knowledge of human weakness, justly termed cunning, softness of temper, outwards obedience, and a scrupulous attention to a puerile kind of propriety, will obtain for them the protection of man; and should they be beautiful, everything else is needless, for at least twenty years of their lives.” Furthermore, “Taught from their infancy that beauty is woman’s sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adore its prison.”
We can still today see tracks of Wollstonecraft’s arguments in the feministic discussion. It is still a big issue that girls are treated differently than boys, raised to be rather beautiful and pleasing than independent and intelligent. We decided to read Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication for the Rights of Woman due to its lasting importance today in the question of the education and upbringing of girls.
As a conclusion, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a manifesto which resembles very much the todays feministic theory. Many feminists found material in her work which was relevant and developed it further. There is one quotation which speaks for Wollstonecraft’s feministic idea and also predict for a future feministic revolution: “It is time to effect a revolution in female manners - time to restore to them their lost dignity - and make them, as a part of the human species, labour by reforming themselves to reform the world. It is time to separate unchangeable morals from local manners. If men be demi-gods, why let us serve them!”.
