Mary Wollestonecraft
Mary WollestonecraftMary Wollestonecraft, otherwise known as the “enlightenment rebel” raised many eyebrows in her time. Her thoughts and ideas about women’s rights gave oppressed females everywhere a chance to think for themselves. She brought the discrimination of women socially, educationally, and politically to the attention of people and raised the awareness of women’s rights.
Socially, during the 18th century, men believed women should not have any independence. Constantly taught to be dependent on men, woman developed the stereotype of ignorant and innocence. According to Mary, women in this time were creatures designed for “sweet attractive grace, and docile blind obedience.” In other words, women were put on this earth as objects that are to obey and please men.
In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollestonecraft demanded that society recognize the female half of the human race. At times, she made a comparison of women to slaves, in that they were simply property, there to do whatever the man pleases. She did not ask for more power than man, for she believed that the rights of man and of woman were to go hand in hand. Tired of relying on men for money as well, Mary was the first to apply the term “legal prostitution” to marriage. By doing this, she expressed her belief that total financial dependence robbed both people of dignity and made it almost impossible for women to be independent. As far as serving men, she believed that women were humans before they were sexual beings, and one must observe the mind rather than the body. The mind is what makes you a real person, and cannot be classified as male or female. This relates to her ideas about education, which she feels has a strong connection to the discrimination of women....
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