Mary Wollstonecraft's Influence On Women

It is difficult to believe that during Mary Wollstonecraft's period women were denied many rights, yet it was completely acceptable by society. Wollstonecraft mentions that due to the "unnatural distinctions" that affected them, women developed a lack of self-respect. Although women of the present have what Mary Wollstonecraft wanted to help women earn self-respect such as equal opportunities, today we still fall victim to the desire to fit into society's standards, similar to women before.
Wollstonecraft states the "unnatural distinctions" that affected women in society was the fact that females were judged and labeled based on their sex. They were automatically deemed to learn skills that were expected of a "normal" woman. These skills included sewing, cooking, or playing an instrument for mere entertainment. Women were discouraged in aiming for other goals except for those that were considered feminine. Their education was very limited compared to men and as a result there were scarcely any jobs suited for them. Their lack of education not only regulated what kind of
jobs they obtained but also made them ignorant of what was going on.
A limited education and career opportunities made it extremely difficult for women to support themselves.
Therefore, marrying a wealthy man was a woman's only hope for survival and obtaining power. They became superficial and obsessed with their appearance to gain love and affection from a man. For a woman, being married was a way of achieving security and a way to be accepted in society and attaining happiness.
A lack of education and financial stability reflected the way women behaved. Wollstonecraft asserts that because of their dependence on their husbands women were "cunning, mean, and selfish"(pg. 748). Love, as Wollstonecraft declares, "is not to be bought…; its silken wings are instantly shriveled up when anything beside a return in kind is sought" (pg. 748). Women grew to be so suppressed and obedient, that they weren't able to possess good judgment in governing a
family.
Women's infatuation with their beauty also resulted in abandoning their duties of being a mother. Wollstonecraft states that a woman "sins against herself by neglecting to cultivate an affection that would equally tend to make her useful and happy (pg. 749)." Men were partly to blame for this, because according to Wollstonecraft, when men valued a woman's superficiality they did not allow them to become what they are born to be which are loving, nurturing creatures. Wollstonecraft asserted that "Men are not aware of the misery they cause and the vicious weakness they cherish by only inciting women to render themselves pleasing; they do not consider that they thus make natural and artificial duties clash by sacrificing the comfort and respectability of a woman's life to voluptuous notions of beauty when in nature they all harmonize."
Women's self-respect vanished once they agreed to society's way of finding happiness for them. Society believed that women were inferior and thought it would be proper for them to remain in the house and have little education. Furthermore, society looked down on a woman who did not have a husband. Women accepted this and came to believe that a husband was the only way for survival. As a result women focused on their outward appearances in order to obtain a wealthy husband and thus acceptance from society.
The primary effect of society allowing women to be oppressed was that everyone got emotionally hurt either way. Women had no self-respect for themselves because they only focused on what society thought was best for them. Consequently, women acted superficial and concentrated on their appearance to get a husband for survival; therefore the men were not truly loved. Women forgot their duties of being a mother because they didn't know how to love, thus their children suffered. Thus, the oppression of women supported superficial love and ultimately led to tumbling of society.
On the other hand, the women of the present have achieved a lot of what Wollstonecraft yearned for the awakening of women. Women can appreciate equality and the opportunities provided by laws that protect their rights. For example, a woman can easily file a law suit if an employee were to discriminate her because of her sex. . Their education is not limited and therefore they have a wide variety of careers to choose from. There are also other women who have taken risks on their own and achieved their goals. These women serve as great role models for others who have not yet spread their wings. Today, the primary effect of females being highly encouraged to reach for their dreams is that more women are beginning to realize their true potential in life and taking matters into their own hands to pursue their dreams.
Despite women's different situations today compared to Wollstonecraft's period, women still share similar desires because of the influence of society. For instance, magazines today always promote outside beauty. They include articles that talk about how women can make themselves look better on the outside, what shoes are in style, the best type of makeup to use and more. Magazines will rarely have articles that talk about how people can make their personality better or how they can help the world become a better place.

As opposite as their expectations and conditions were, it's quite ironic how women of both times still believe the path to happiness is through obtaining indefinite factors such as wealth, beauty, security, and being loved. Women in the past who believed this path to happiness lacked self-respect. Therefore women today who also believe this similar path to happiness lack self-respect as well. Women of both past and present possess similar desires because of the influence of society. They lack respect for themselves hence they try to gain respect from society to make them feel "good enough."
Women of Wollstonecraft's period and today do not realize that whatever power or respect they acquire from beauty and superficiality will fade away. Only by first achieving respect for themselves and establishing a relationship built on trust and love will a woman achieve ultimate happiness.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. "Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society." A World of Ideas Seventh Edition. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. 748-758.