Seminar Paper (Semester 2)

Mary Wollstonecraft- Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Chapter 4)

In Vindications of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft argues that women are degraded in society and are to an extent powerless in decision making and are thought of as second class citizens. Men stand in the way of women and reason and due to the power of men in society; they have very little influence in daily living. Women are duty-bound to men in a variety of ways such as decision making, marriage and to provide their husband with children to continue the family name.

In the chapter, Wollstonecraft uses the example of birds to describe the socially accepted role of women. They are shut up in cages day after day with no option but to plume themselves to look as attractive as possible so that men will take an interest in them. Therefore, passions of men have placed women on thrones like queens and they are seen as idols that can be worshipped. Until mankind becomes more reasonable towards women, there is a possibility that women will always be considered the inferior sex unless attitudes within society change over time.

Wollstonecraft argues that idea of women being the property of men is one of the most important questions that we should ask ourselves about society. When a man lawfully marries a woman then he is obliged to take care of both the woman and her children financially. If the woman remains faithful to the father of her children then she should not be treated like a prostitute and used just to provide children. In addition, the man and woman should live together in order to bring up their children, and the man should remain faithful to his wife at all times as a man must never have more than one wife.

In one particular section of her essay, Wollstonecraft presents the idea that men are able to get a well-paid job as they have been highly educated unlike women who have no means of education. The only way a woman is able to rise above her social class is to marry a wealthy man who will provide for her. She challenges the views presented by the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau stating that being educated to the same level as men, women should not have power over men, only the power to be able to make their own decisions in life. This contradicts the viewpoint of Rousseau as he believes that if we educate men and women in the same way then men will lose some of their power and women may become the dominant sex in society.

Wollstonecraft concludes in chapter 4 that women should not be considered heroes for struggling and fighting to become equal to men. They should just be treated as normal human beings with rights and the freedom to do as they please without being under the strict control of men.