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Mary Wollstonecraft Education Analysis

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Chapter iii Mary Wollstonecraft concept of education for women In this chapter we will be discussing Wollstonecraft concept of education for women. For Wollstonecraft education is very important for women as it will help them strengthen their mind and help them become a better mothers and wife`s. Wollstonecraft was a passionate advocate for education reforms. I would like to present the criticisms on Rousseau's ideas on education put forth by Mary Wollstonecraft in her political treatise "A Vindication of The Rights of Woman" (1792). Mary Wollstonecraft was born in London in 1759. Before I discuss Wollstonecraft's criticisms on Rousseau's ideas let us once again make a brief evaluation of "Emile", his major work on education. Rousseau is often …show more content…

She wanted education to become a national concern. Children should be encouraged to expand their faculties and think for themselves, and this can be done by putting children together and by educating them on the same subjects. Wollstonecraft believes that private education is very confined and limited to the child’s mental development. When the youth are educated alone they never acquire that frankness and ingenuity of thought that come from speaking their minds. A child should develop his own mentality by discovering things on his own. This, however, can be done only when children are exposed to society and not simply with their parents alone. While talking about schools, Wollstonecraft disapproves boarding-schools calling them “hot- beds of vice and folly.” Boarding schools are strict and tend to mould students in every way. However, when they become free during their vacations at home, boys somehow according to Wollstonecraft become slovenly and gluttonous and cunning. This is very true in the sense that when children are dealt in a very strict manner, the moment they set out to the world on their own they tend to enjoy the most freedom. Thus, Wollstonecraft feels that parents, namely fathers should be friendly to their children instead of being tyrant towards them. In this way their relationship would be genuine and in a sense for Wollstonecraft family relationships became educational ones. Accordingly, for Wollstonecraft bringing up a child only at home also would make the child imperious and spoiled, as well as vain and effeminate. Wollstonecraft thus, feels the way of combining private and public education to avoid two extremes equally injurious to morality. Wollstonecraft is of the opinion that children should be send to schools during the day and return home to

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