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Review Of Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women

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It is time to separate unchangeable morals from local manners", Wollstonecraft had written in A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792. Even though it is over two centuries late, now is as good as a time as any, to break through these stereotypes and promote women in a healthy manner to have a sizeable representation in the engineering workforce. Another quote from her book: A Vindication of the Rights of Men goes like: "Virtue can only flourish amongst equals". Thus, if we require a significant proportion of women in the engineering workforce, it is critical that we provide them with equal opportunity in every step of the funnel instead of simply adding an artificial reservation in firms to force them to hire women for the sake of diversity. An ideal society would have an equal number of women enrolled for primary and secondary education, …show more content…

She suggested that the current state of women was not created due to the Biblical story of Eve being guilty of getting mankind banished from the Garden of Eden because of tasting the forbidden fruit. She neither believed that women were biologically programmed only for pleasuring their husbands and bearing their children. Mary discovered that the key factor was the lack of education. This is a classic example of the confusion between correlation and causality. While the ignorant majority of the society thinks that women's lack of achievements in the fields of science is correlated to their quantitative under-representation in number of enrolments in higher education institutes, possibly both of them being related to a different handicap which may be theological or biological as discussed above. The trust however is, what Mary correctly discovers, that it is actually causation at play here, and the cause for women not making waves in various fields of studies is because of their limited access to

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She writes many different examples showcasing the equality between the two genders. Mary then ends the second speech by incorporating biblical aspects. The main idea of speech one was to bring attention to the power of money. That it has the power to take over even

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During the late eighteenth century, the world experiences the chaos of the French Revolution. The Enlightenment proclaims that men have natural rights; therefore, people grew angry with oppressive monarchs ultimately leading to revolution. Enlightenment thinkers apply rational thinking to the rights of men, and during the Romantic period people advocate for more rights for all people. In 1789, French revolutionaries proclaim the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which gives equality and civil rights to men in France. In 1792, a woman by the name of Mary Wollstonecraft extends these ideas of natural rights to women in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

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“To render [make] mankind more virtuous, and happier of course, both sexes must act from the same principle,... For they are now made so inferior by ignorance and low desires, as not to deserve to be ranked with them…” Mary believed that if men and women were given the same education as men and also treated the same, women would be just as superior as men. Although, she did think this was a very difficult argument because women are ranked so

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During this time women were viewed as less than men, anything that women would do would be overlooked. Margaret Cavendish wrote, “ For though the muses, graces, and sciences, are all of the female gender, ...they would turn all from females into males, so great is grown the self-conceit of the masculine and the disregard of the female sex.” (Doc 9). Male scientist were considered to be more important and would be considered correct, contrary women who were educated and conducted scientific experiments would be disregarded along with their work. Henry Oldenbury further proves this when he says that, “ Friendship among men is a great aid to the investigation and elucidation of the truth.”(doc

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However, when examining the letters written by Mary Paul in 1853, the limitations she suffered specifically because of her gender are exposed. In 1853, Mary Paul writes to her father asking his permission for her to join an association called “North American Phalanx”. In her letter, she lists the advantages of joining such association, which include, a better pay, less work, and the privilege to do whatever she sees as fit. Working conditions outside the association were dire, but according to Mary Paul, “at the ‘Phalanx’, it is different, all work there, and all are paid alike both men and women have the same pay and the same work [...] There is more equality in such things according to the work not the sex, you know that men often get more than double the pay for doing the same work that woman do -”

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Mary Fairfax was born on 28th December 1780, in a Mansion on the Scottish Borders. In a time when women were not considered full citizens- with no right to vote, and a minimal education provided only to the ladies of the elite, Mary Fairfax broke all boundaries to prove to society that gender and brilliance are not mutually excusive. Her story is one of courage and determination. Having read through her biography, I was convinced that she was a fascinating human being. In this essay I will focus on the socio-cultural context of her accomplishments, particularly due to her gender.

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One of her main ideas was the that the government should “enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as will render [her] independent. In fact, it is a farce to call any being virtuous whose [skills] do not result from the exercise of [her] own reason.” (Wollstonecraft) With equality between all genders, along with equal schooling opportunities, women can become as independent as men and live up to their full potential. Although Mary believed that a woman's first duty was to her raising her children, she also wished that all genders could have an equal opportunity and not be “made so inferior by ignorance and low desires, as not to be deserved to be ranked with them”

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Wollstonecraft had said, “...a profound conviction that the neglected education of my fellow-creatures is the grand source of the misery I deplore, and that women, in particular, are rendered weak and wretched by a variety of concurring causes…’(Wollstonecraft, 1). Between Shelley and

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“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue” (Buddha). In “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” by Mary Wollstonecraft, the path to virtue is through true education and reason. The effects of virtue are illustrated through an enlightened mind, being morally upright, and being able to live a pleasant life. One achieves virtue when one truly understands what his or her education is for, to not only to be able to learn from today’s society, but also from mistakes made in mankind’s past and try to better it.

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The Fight for Women’s Rights For long, women were considered inferior to men. Before the start of the women’s rights movement, people thought that females were destined for a life of cleaning, taking care of kids, and being a good; submissive wife. They couldn’t own property, couldn’t vote, couldn’t attend school nor college, couldn’t work, couldn’t even take care of their own money; it was as if they were objects, destined for reproduction. In medieval times, women were even considered the devil’s work.

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Would you ever want to live in a place where having a deviation is not allowed? Or where woman’s rights are basically nonexistent? Well this is where David Strorm is living in John Wyndhams book, “The Chrysalids”. This terrible place is called Waknuk. Primarily, it is ruled by religion.

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Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the rights of women written in 1792 can be considered one of the first feminist documents, although the term appeared much later in history. In this essay, Wollstonecraft debates the role of women and their education. Having read different thinkers of the Enlightenment, as Milton, Lord Bacon, Rousseau, John Gregory and others, she finds their points of view interesting and at the same time contrary to values of the Enlightenment when they deal with women’s place. Mary Wollstonecraft uses the ideas of the Enlightenment to demand equal education for men and women. I will mention how ideals of the Enlightenment are used in favor of men but not of women and explain how Wollstonecraft support her “vindication” of the rights of women using those contradictions.

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Mary Wollstonecraft states her opinion on the argument that education is the basis for gaining equality within a society. Educating women begin the process of educating the next generation. Mary Wollstonecraft mentions in her essay that an education for women is essential, for it is their gender’s responsibility to educate and nurture the next generation of children. Quoted in the phrase “such an attention to a child as will slowly sharpen the senses, form the temper, regulate the passions as they being to ferment, and set the understanding to work before the body arrives at maturity” (Wollstonecraft 220)”.

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The inequality of women has been a long-lasting issue since its existence, with the issue still persisting today. Women have gained more rights over time in great part to efforts made by feminists, however, much progress still needs to be made. Mary Wollstonecraft, often cited as one of the founding feminist philosophers, is a notable feminist whose advocacy and ideas on femininity have acted as a strong influence for the modern conception of feminism. One of Wollstonecraft’s most prominent works in regards to feminism is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In the piece, Wollstonecraft uses and critiques philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s work titled Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, in order to build a case in defense of a woman’s

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Why men and women not treated equally? Why there is gender inequality? Feminist ideas were abound across Europe in the nineteenth century. Activists like Mary Wollstonecraft and Anna Wheeler fought for women’s rights. "

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