What Are The Implications Of A Vindication On The Rights Of Woman

“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.” (Wollstonecraft) Throughout Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication on the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft discusses sources of inequality between men and women. She believes that education, the lack of women’s social diversity and a false definition of the word reason are some of the causes of inequality. So, in Wollstonecraft's view, public education that includes both the sexes, the combining of the home life and sociality as well as the definition of reason as virtue would act as remedies to the majority of situations that produce inequality. While Wollstonecraft’s proposals would act as solutions to a certain point, they will not be sufficient to completely remedy inequality
issues between men and women.
According to Wollstonecraft, the state of education in her time was not sufficient to allow men and women an equal opportunity. Women were expected to depend upon either an inheritance or marriage to allow them to have a future. However, in situations such as Wollstonecraft’s, her father spent her inheritance and she was forced to look at marriage as her only option. This did not satisfy Wollstonecraft in the least as she believed she should have such opportunities that men were privy to. “Into this error men have, probably, been led by viewing education in a false light; not considering it as the first step to form a being advancing gradually towards perfection; but only as a preparation for life.”(Wollstonecraft)
In addition, women in Wollstonecraft’s time were expected to run the home and raise the children without opportunity for social outputs.
Furthermore, women were expected to participate in taking care of the children, while not having a large say in the direction of the children’s moral character. In Wollstonecraft’s opinion, this was not sufficient as women should not be expected to sacrifice their social, professional, and educational freedoms due to the fact that they had children at home. Lastly, the definition of reason was skewed to lean towards a more lenient definition. Essentially, reason is not being utilized as it should be. People in Wollstonecraft's time were misusing reason and using it to keep women in “specious slavery”. Women were engaging with frivolity instead of reason and virtue of a higher order that would bring a higher mental stamina and social awareness. “It is vain to expect virtue from women till they are in some degree independent of men.” (Wollstonecraft)
In order to better demonstrate the ineffectuality of the current state of gender equality, Wollstonecraft proposes a few solutions to put the sexes on a more even playing field. Most importantly, Wollstonecraft believes in a public education system that would benefit both men and women. Wollstonecraft proposes that education, like nourishment, is a basic human right that all should have public access to. Wollstonecraft argues that both men and women should have easy access to the type of education that would bring forth the development of human’s core capabilities. “Only that education deserves emphatically to be termed cultivation of the mind which teaches young people how to begin to think.” (Wollstonecraft) Wollstonecraft states that education is one of the “native unalienable rights of men” that women are being deprived of. Also, she imagines that everyone would be engaged with learning while only working some of the time up until a certain point in life.
Furthermore, Wollstonecraft has a deep rooted belief that the home life and sociality should be combined into one.
Education would be the gateway to make this a reality. If women’s rational capacities and the development of women’s views on social and political rights were evolved, life would be much different. Also, if coeducation between girls and boys were a thing from an early age moving forward, the deep seated opinion that women only belong in the home or on the arm of a wealthy man would begin to change. “The man who can be contented to live with a pretty and useful companion who has no mind has lost in voluptuous gratifications a taste for more refined pleasures; he has never felt the calm and refreshing satisfaction. . . .of being loved by someone who could understand him.” (Wollstonecraft)
When a girl and a boy are treated as equal in a public setting, the view of how women should act in a societal situation will evolve from generation to generation until the idea that women did not have equal access to education will only be a memory. “And, perhaps, in the education of both sexes, the most difficult task is so to adjust instruction as not to narrow the understanding, whilst the heart is warmed by the generous juices of spring . . . nor to dry up the feelings by employing the mind in investigations remote from life.”
(Wollstonecraft) According to Wollstonecraft, women also need to be held accountable inside of the home while maintaining a certain prowess in the education and social departments. She believes that women need to be the primary caregivers of the children, and at the same time be allowed to have an impact on the children’s life that goes deeper than just the surface. Women need to instill virtue in the children while instructing them that women in the same way as men are moral and rational. Both sexes should be encouraged to seek out a higher morality on an even playing field instead of women being treated as if they were mythical creatures out of a storybook. "But I still insist, that not only the virtue, but the knowledge of the two sexes should be the same in nature, if not in degree, and that women, considered not only as moral, but rational creatures, ought to endeavour to acquire human virtues (or perfections) by the same means as men, instead of being educated like a fanciful kind of half being, one of Rousseau's wild chimeras." (Wollstonecraft)
Finally, Wollstonecraft believes there needs to be a better definition of the word reason.
She believes that reason is synonymous with the word virtue. Having a virtuous mindset, that is showing high moral standards, is just one more piece to solving the inequality puzzle. If women could separate themselves from engaging in activities such as going to salons and being unneededly concerned with their appearances, they would be able to engage with the world by being informed and performing civic duties while arguing what is right. Excising frivolity is needed for women to have the capacity to become virtuous and impactful citizens. “and this homage to women’s attractions has distorted their understanding to such an extent that almost all the civilized women of the present century are anxious only to inspire love, when they ought to have the nobler aim of getting respect for their abilities and virtues.”
(Wollstonecraft)
For all that Wollstonecraft proposes in regards to gender inequality, it is to be noted that while some of her ideas would be effective, others will not. To a certain degree, Wollstonecraft was right in regards to her thoughts on education and how it should be able to be accessed by all. By having students of both sexes in the same classes, inequality would lessen. Women being taught in the same settings as men and being allowed to pursue not only primary education, but secondary education all of the way through post secondary education would be major. However, while her proposition in regards to spending most of the time gaining an education and the other part working sounds good in theory, it would not work. There has always been a wealth discrepancy that requires some to work more often or even more jobs than others. Wollstonecraft would have to come up with another proposal regarding the mechanisms by which everyone, regardless of class and income, would be able to have equal access and opportunities for education. Also, even if everyone attended the same schools all the way through their schooling, there would still be the question of resources. Some would have more access to luxuries such as home instruction done by tutors, the polity in general and the opportunities to engage in other materials outside of class. In regards to women’s role in the home and how to proceed with it while introducing sociality, I believe she is headed in the right direction, but needs to rethink part of the situation. While women should be allowed and encouraged to instill the correct moral values into their children, they should not have to do it alone. Wollstonecraft’s desire to have women not only balance teaching and raising their children alongside of receiving a full time education would result in more gender disparity. This would be so due to the fact that women would have to be working twice as hard as men in order to balance everything that would be expected of them. Expecting women to not only educate, but also labor in society is good in theory, but will not be possible as they must also be allowed to have a chance to take a break from the societal demands placed upon them. “It is time to effect a revolution in female manners - time to restore to them their lost dignity - and make them, as a part of the human species, labour by reforming themselves to reform the world. It is time to separate unchangeable morals from local manners.” (Wollstonecraft)
Finally, I believe that Wollstonecraft adequately diagnoses the issues surrounding reason ,and I agree with her definition of the word. Doing away with frivolity would aid in alleviating gender disparity simply through women caring less about their image and more about their character.“[I]f we revert to history, we shall find that the women who have distinguished themselves have neither been the most beautiful nor the most gentle of their sex.” (Wollstonecraft) Being a contributing member of society requires knowledge of societies moral issues and general political station. “My own sex, I hope, will excuse me, if I treat them like rational creatures, instead of flattering their fascinating graces, and viewing them as if they were in a state of perpetual childhood, unable to stand alone.” (Wollstonecraft)
In conclusion, while Wollstonecraft’s views and proposed solutions on the inequality of the sexes are adequate, there is still much to be discussed in regards to alleviating the imbalance before us. She scratched the surface of how to approach solutions for equality that would need further development in order to be successful without causing too many issues among the polity. Indeed, without women such as Mary Wollstonecraft to approach these issues in a forum that was not at that time friendly to women, women would not be where they are today. Continuing to supplement her ideas with more substantial evidence and experiments is necessary in order to eventually come to the conclusion that the genders are finally equal. However, this will be an undertaking that will need to be supported by many. As long as there are women who will work toward the advancement of themselves and others, gender inequality will soon be something that is only thought of in the past tense. “Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.” (Wollstonecraft)