Mary Wollstonecraft A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

"It is vain to except virtue from women til they are in some degree independent from men." - Mary Wollstonecraft. Mary Wollstonecraft was a prominent leader and figure in what we know now as feminism, but what defines feminism? According to Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary, feminism can be defined as, "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. Wollstonecraft was most famous for her amazing piece "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman". What compels a woman to write about such a thing? What gives her this badge of bravery to stand up and fight for what is right and for what is equal? She lived in a time when women were objectified and look at as mere

Women should perform to our full capacity of excelling in education just like men if not better, not for the acknowledgement of others but for ourselves. Most women in the late 17th century and early 18th century were oblivious to the importance of education. Education was viewed in the same capacity as an extracurricular activity. If you were educated, you were mocked and ostracized, and not valued or acknowledged for your years of study and the knowledge that you gained. You were looked at as a know- it- all, or someone who was trying to compete with men and not viewed as just being equally as smart and educated. As Mary Wollstonecraft stated throughout her book, “marriage is not better than prostitution, and that education and unequal laws for women is similar to the condition of slavery.” This has so much truth to it. During slavery reading and being educated was a sign of being rebellious. Education literally held the key to freedom. Reading was a tool that opened a whole new world for the slaves. Who would have known that people were free and that the life that they were living was a lie, without some form of education. In my opinion, women in the 17th & 18th century were basically blinded from a

They were labeled adventure schools because,” achieving any sort of higher learning was an adventure.” In these schools there would be one teacher who would basically teach whatever subjects were “popular at the time.” This goes to show that women were thought of as just quilters, weavers, or seamstress. Learning is so important and fundamental to help guide you through life, but crafts were more important than anything else, and it seemed fitting for women, and was eventually thought of as “woman’s work”. Times are steadily changing and thankfully education is becoming more and more popular amongst women. According to ASHE Higher Education Reports, since 1988 more than half of all undergraduate students have been female. It proves that education has finally taken a front seat since the 1700’s. Not only do women have this amazing interest in education, but they are now leaders in corporate America and around the world. Educated women are using their intelligence to push other women to follow their steps just by being themselves. Women like Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton just to name a few are making tremendous efforts to bring education and the rights of women to the fore front. The first lady, Michelle Obama, launched this