Mary Wollstonecraft

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the life, works and career of eighteenth century social reformer and promoter of women's rights, Mary Wollstonecraft. The paper discusses the events which shaped her radical opinions and her membership in a circle of reformist Dissenters. It then examines her works which addressed the issues between the sexes, including her first published text "A Vindication of the Rights of Man" (1790), followed two years later by "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman". The paper also discusses Wollstonecraft's philosophies and views on culture, marriage and education for women.

From the Paper:

"Wollstonecraft felt that most men traditionally used their authority to sustain attitudes that subjugated women. In addition to her position that men were not superior to women, Wollstonecraft also was against separate education of women and men. She argued that women's education focused more on the art of manners and being subsurvient to men rather than turning them into free-thinking and inquisitive human beings. Wollstonecraft favored a publicly financed, free co-education for all children, ages 5-9. Wollstonecraft does not really address higher education for women, primarily because few women in her time were allowed to experience the benefits of such an education."

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