Today, we are lucky to live in a society where no matter your gender, you can aspire to be anything.
There are female doctors, lawyers, judges, female soldiers and even female construction workers.
However, this has not always been the case. There was a time in history not that long ago, when
women were not allowed to have a career of their choice. Women were obligated to stay at home, raise
children and tend to their domestic duties. Can you imagine living in a place where being a woman
limits your choices in life? A woman’s place in society slowly began to change because there were those
who believed that women were human and therefore, should be treated equally and be given the same
opportunities that men were given. One of the pioneers of such thinking was a woman by the name of
Mary Wollstonecraft. She believed that women and men were equal and she continuously criticized the
typical role that women held in society. It is because of her writings and criticisms that women today
are able to have more choices in their lives. They are now able to live in a society with fewer
inequalities. However, much more has to be done so all humans may live in an equal and just world.
Her life experiences shed light as to why she felt these changes needed to take place.
For example, Wollstonecraft often observed men treat women unfairly throughout her life. It is
through these experiences that Wollstonecraft began to shape her views about the place women had in
society. Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27th, 1759 in Spitalfields, London, England. She was the
second of six children born to John Wollstonecraft and Elizabeth Dickson. Her childhood was not ideal,
since her father was known for being a violent alcoholic. Her mother was very submissive and she
constantly doted on her sons and husband. Wollstonecraft would have to defend her mother to prevent
her father from beating her, even if this meant that Wollstonecraft would have to take the beatings
herself. She took a maternal role in the family, protecting her mother and sisters from her father’s
wrath. Her father’s oppression over her mother and the laws concerning divorce during her time period
petrified her. She believed that it was better to be self-sufficient than to be dependent on men. At
nineteen, she decided to leave her home and support herself as a writer. Leaving her home to become a
writer was her first step towards independence. She was considered a radical because during her time
period, it was frowned upon for women to seek employment or to attempt to be self-sufficient. She had
two daughters, Fanny Imlay in 1794, and Mary Shelley in 1797. Wollstonecraft died from complications
after giving birth to Mary, on September 10, 1797. Although Wollstonecraft died relatively young, in her
short life, she was able to help change her society for the better.
For instance, Wollstonecraft’s actions were as revolutionary as her writings. She was influenced by the
American and French revolutions. In 1790, she wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Men, a text written
in defense of the revolution and its principles. In this text, she argued that a society had the right to
remove a bad king from the throne. Furthermore, she criticized several things that she believed were
wrong with her society, including: slave trade, game laws, and the way the poor were treated. She
argued that if the poor were properly educated, they would no longer be in the unfortunate state they
were in: “Teach them [the poor,] to read and write and you take them out of the station assigned to
them by nature” (188, Romanticism: An Anthology). She stated that the French Revolution was a result
of years of oppression and poverty. Mary Wollstonecraft wanted to make a positive impact on her
society.
Therefore, most of her writings dealt with the social and political issues of her time, focusing
primarily on women and their rights. In 1786, she wrote Thoughts on the Education of Girls, a text that
critiqued the standard teaching methods and suggested new topics that should be studied by girls.
Borrowing ideas from A Vindication of the Rights of Men, she wrote her most important and influential
work, A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792. This work is considered to be the first feminist
philosophical text and it has inspired many feminist social movements. In this text, she argues that
women and men are equal and therefore, they should be treated and given the same opportunities.
Furthermore, she argues that women only appear inferior because they are not given a proper
education. In this work, she expresses the need for women to be educated to further their
advancement in society. She recognizes and critiques education received by women during her time
period by referring to it as unpractical and enslaving. Yet, she wasn’t solely interested in women’s
rights.
Although, she was interested in advocating for the equal rights of women, Wollstonecraft
wanted to change people’s views on women in society. She believed that femininity was a socially
constructed concept cultivated by men, who wanted to keep women under their control. She accused
society of teaching women at infancy that the only thing that they needed to take care of was their
beauty: “It is acknowledged that they [women,] spend the first years of their lives acquiring a
smattering of accomplishment meanwhile strength of the body and mind are sacrificed to libertine
notions of beauty, to the desire of establishing themselves the only way women can raise in the world
by marriage” (169). According to Wollstonecraft, women cultivate a set of crippling notions like:
“…favoring beauty over reason and understanding; sensibility over physical and metal vigor” (169).
Therefore, Wollstonecraft believed that women learned at a very young age that their only way to
advance in society is through marriage. She was met with a lot of criticism for her views.
Therefore, Wollstonecraft had immense courage and determination, since she had the
conviction to be outspoken about her beliefs. It was through these beliefs that the feminist social
movement began to take shape and society was able to change. Although A Vindication of the Rights of
Women was written hundreds of years ago, it continues to be a powerful and influential text. Women in
our society now have an ample amount of opportunities and live in a society that is closer to being equal
to both men and women. Unfortunately, Wollstonecraft’s mission is not yet complete. There is still
much more work to be done so women may live in a world that is free from oppression and inequality.
For example, there are places around the world were women are legally beaten for not obeying their
husbands, or where women have less rights than an animal. But, gender discrimination occurs
everywhere. Here in the United States, women generally make less money in identical positions as men.
In conclusion, although much progress has been made in favor of equal rights, there is still much more
to be done.