A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Published in 1792, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is considered one of the earliest and most pivotal pieces in the development of the feminist movement. Thus, I wanted to start a series of posts covering some significant books and essays in the feminist movements throughout history. Naturally, Mary Wollstonecraft's writing came to mind immediately. A trailblazer and a forward-thinker, Wollstonecraft was ahead of her time and laid the foundation of the ideals and values of women's rights campaign.

First, I wanted to provide some background on Wollstonecraft. Born in 1759, she was an English writer and advocate for women's rights, composing novels, treatises, and children's books. She had a very controversial life, which especially tainted her reputation after a memoir was published about her life. However, her arguments could not be denied. With her husband William Godwin, a famous philosopher, she gave birth to Mary Shelley, which I am sure you have heard of before, the author of Frankenstein. She wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman while living in France during the French Revolution, which closely followed the American Revolution. Resultantly, the ideals of democracy and anti-monarchy sentiments greatly influenced her arguments in the book.

Beyond just the content of the writing, I did want to spend some time commenting on how she frames her argument in order to gain respect during a time period where her audience was almost entirely made up of male intellectuals and philosophers. Wollstonecraft had to essentially prove her ability to even remark on the situation through connecting with the audience and making concessions when necessary. For example, she often utilizes analogies regarding the detriments of the rule of one man, the "King," and "hereditary honors, riches, and monarchy." This was in alignment of the beliefs of intellectuals at the time, especially because it was during the time that democratic beliefs were starting to spread in the newly created U.S. and in the French Revolution. Furthermore, she agrees with and then refutes the widely accepted ideas of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Unfortunately, as women in STEM, we will most likely encounter experiences in the workplace, and especially in the boardroom, as a very small percentage of women serve on the board of technological companies. We will have to earn respect as women, and Wollstonecraft's writing illustrates this by highlighting how to use rhetorical language and strategies to capture the attention of the men at the time. However, she wholly supports and argues her point throughout the book.

"Consequently, the most perfect education, in my opinion, is such an exercise of the understanding as is best calculated to strengthen the body and form the heart. Or, in other words, to enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as will render it independent... This was Rousseau’s opinion respecting men: I extend it to women, and confidently assert that they have been drawn out of their sphere by false refinement, and not by an endeavour to acquire masculine qualities" - Mary Wollstonecraft.

The most fundamental aspect of Wollstonecraft's argument revolves around education - a belief that is still widely held today. She points to the differences in how girls are raised as the cause for why women are relegated to the home. She argues that girls need a proper curriculum that is created and run by females. Society only teaches women to be beautiful and to believe that they are weaker. Wollstonecraft believes that, if men and women were given equal education and equal opportunities, then society could accurately evaluate women's roles. However, women are viewed as inferior in the intellectual realm because they are not given the same chance to learn and succeed that men have. Additionally, a girl will not choose to pursue her intellectual curiosities because she is not taught to. Education shapes our goals and perspectives; thus, girls must be taught that they do have the capability to improve themselves and achieve success in the workplace.

This situation in the 1790s may seem like it was a long time ago, and indeed we have made progress in the way that society views women, but the fundamental concept stays the same, particularly in the field of STEM. If girls are taught that they have the capability to achieve success in a STEM field, then we can start closing the gender gap. It always begins with education. Education is the most vital part of the path to achieving equality and breaking down barriers because we have to instill in girls the belief that they have a right to pursue a career in STEM. Additionally, Wollstonecraft further comments that girls should not be taught to "acquire masculine qualities" because this language is insinuating that females do not innately belong in the workplace. Again, rhetoric and language is extremely important because women should be taught that it is feminine to go into any career path they desire. It is feminine to want to improve oneself, in any and every realm.

In this post, I have only briefly touched on the brilliance of Wollstonecraft's argument, but I wanted to specifically emphasize the points that most directly and aptly apply to the situation in the STEM field. At the end of the day, education has been, is, and will always be the most pivotal aspect of progress and reform. It begins and ends with education, and, consequently, education that inspires young girls to pursue a career in STEM and insists that they are fully capable of it is the key to breaking the gender barrier.