Wollstonecraft's Arguments for Women's Rights - Essay Example

Wollstonecraft’s Arguments for Women’s Rights Mary Wollstonecraft was an 18th century and philosopher who is most recognized as an early advocate of women’s rights. Her work expands a broad variety of categories, yet her work on women’s rights is perhaps the most notable to contemporary readers as it foregrounded many aspects of later Civil Rights and feminist movements. While all her work contains the underlining element of feminism, perhaps her most notable arguments for women’s rights emerge in the texts of Vindications of the Rights of Men and Vindications of the Rights of Woman.

This essay considers Mary Wollstonecraft’s arguments for women’s rights and considers the extent of their persuasiveness. Through a number of treatises and texts Mary Wollstonecraft argued for women’s rights. One of the early appearances of Wollstonecraft’s arguments for women’s rights appears in Vindication of the Rights of Men. In this treatise Wollstonecraft argued that “women have unalienable rights given to them from God” (Wollstonecraft). This is a concept she in large part adopts from John Locke.

She believed that these rights were determined by reason, and that it was in the interference of these rights by man that they become warped. Still, perhaps Wollstonecraft’s most powerful argument for women’s rights emerges in Vindications of the Rights of Woman. In this text Wollstonecraft attempts to restructure the very nature in which society views women’s roles. While 18th century woman was situated as simply a wife to a husband, Wollstonecraft argued for a more egalitarian approach to marriage; in this conception women would act more as partners than simply wives.

One notes that this is a marital structure that is much more reminiscent of 20th century relationships than 18th century. Another one of Wollstonecraft’s primary arguments considers education and the ways that women act in society. Wollstonecraft has a low opinion of 18th century women, referring to them as “spaniels” and “toys” (Wollstonecraft 144). Rather than this being an aspect that is innate to women, Wollstonecraft argues that women acting in this way is a culturally conditioned aspect of a patriarchal society.

Rather than simply accepting these social standards, Wollstonecraft contends that women should be educated commensurate to their position in society. In accepting the prevailing standards of society women are simply held prisoner to their emotions and given nothing to root their lives of senses of self-understanding. While Wollstonecraft acknowledges masculine physical strength, she ultimately believed that women should be given more equitable treatment in society. In considering the persuasiveness of these arguments it’s clear that Wollstonecraft presents a convincing argument.

In large part Wollstonecraft has indicated that despite the outward social appearance, women and indeed society at large, is greatly influenced by the social standards into which they are born. This is a very convincing argument as it considers the ways that society and cultural apparatuses can shape and influence human behavior. Today one sees these ideas reflected in liberal social policies regarding affirmative action and other such elements established by the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, it’s been noted that Wollstonecraft was an early “proponent of these cultural and civil understandings wherein identity and personal prosperity are aspects that are shaped and determined by the culture and society in which the individual is born and educated” (Gordon 26).

In these instances, society acknowledges the pervasive influence of culture and social trends to both oppress and influence individuals in society. Another highly convincing aspect of Wollstonecraft’s philosophy is the understanding that through education women’s role in society can be changed. Today it’s regularly accepted that education can shape and influence not simply intellectual understanding, but social behavior. In large part, this is the reason social organizations have objected to the influx of negative topics in movies and video games, and place restrictions on what can be featured in television shows past certain times.

Rather than women’s roles and identities being an innate aspect of existence, they instead constitute a culturally conditioned aspect of society as learned through education. Ultimately, Wollstonecraft’s arguments in terms of women’s rights are highly convincing. In conclusion, Mary Wollstonecraft argues for the nature of women’s rights from a number of perspectives. In terms of her overarching account she believes that women are given unalienable rights by God. She furthers this argument in indicating that they act differently not because of their innate compunction, but because of the social order in which they are raised.

She proposes education as a means to rectify this inequality. Ultimately, Wollstonecraft presents a persuasive case for the need for increased women’s rights in the 18th century. References Gordon, Lyndall. (2000)Vindication: A Life of Mary Wollstonecraft. Great Britain: Virago. Wollstonecraft, Mary. (1997)Vindications of the Rights of Woman. Eds. D. L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Toronto: Broadview Literary Texts. Wollstonecraft, Mary. (1997)Vindications of the Rights of Men. D. L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf.

Toronto: Broadview Literary Texts.