Declaration Of The Rights Of Women Essay

660 Words3 Pages

Both the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” and “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” discuss the roles and natural rights that should be upheld in society. However, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” only covers those roles and rights pertaining to men and other citizens, which at this time in history did not include women. On the other hand, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” covers the roles and rights of both men and women and discusses ways that society could improve to create equal rights for everyone. The differences in these two texts are evident in the language and length of each text. The “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens” is only three pages long compared to the fourteen page, “A …show more content…

The reason behind its length is due to the struggles women were facing at this current time in history. Wollstonecraft had to elaborate on many of her ideas as she had to thoroughly justify herself and thoughts to society because she was a woman. This is unlike the men of the French National Assembly whose statements were more easily accepted. As evident in the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens,” the lack of reference to women proved that women were not seen as equal to men. They also were not allowed to participate in government, other authoritative roles, and did not have the same “natural” rights as men. Throughout this text, Wollstonecraft discusses how close-minded society was about women and equality. She describes society as being under the impression that women and men were two different animals. Society also believed that men were free and logical thinkers that could rule and change society while women were seen as pretty objects that could bear children. Wollstonecraft’s feminist view discusses that the problem was not only men inhibiting women, but women themselves were also not pushing against the ideology that men were superior. She continues to explain her new feminist ideology that discusses changes in society that would create equality. This includes a new public education system where boys and girls studied together and learned the same things. Wollstonecraft concludes her