A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects

Wollstonecraft continues her discussion of power and hierarchy, stating that the only way in which man is able to sustain his “tyranny” (19) and continue his rule over women is by perpetuating the myth that the masculine ideal is different from the feminine ideal. Because of this perceived difference, women have been taught different virtues, namely “cunning, softness of temper, outward obedience, and a scrupulous attention to a puerile type of propriety” (19), all of which only help them to acquire “the protection of a man” (19), rather than to acquire their own independence. Here, Wollstonecraft refers to Milton’s depiction of Eve in his seminal work Paradise Lost, where he describes Eve as “frail” (19). Wollstonecraft takes this to mean that according to Milton, women do not have “souls” (19) in the way that men do, and must be treated like children. For Wollstonecraft, Milton’s presentation of Eve as no more than a child is indicative of how men and society at-large similarly treat and perceive women.

Next, Wollstonecraft explores what she means by “education” as the basis of inequality between the sexes. She says that, by “education” she is not simply referring to “private education” (21), but to the educating influence of society, of the manners and beliefs reinforced by social conventions: “Men and women must be educated, in a great degree, by the opinions and manners of the society they live in” (21).

Wollstonecraft argues that so long as hierarchies persist, man will not acquire virtues by the “exercise of its own reason” (21), as he is forced to do the bidding of others, often performing immoral tasks in the service of those above him. Fundamental to the hierarchies Wollstonecraft credits with the dissolution of morals and virtues is the hierarchy that prevails between men and women.

Wollstonecraft says that women, being raised only as subordinate to men, often practice a kind of “blind obedience” (24) and the only way to counter such blind obedience is by “enlarging” (24) the female mind. Wollstonecraft describes the way in which women are educated by society, stating that they are taught to “acquire manners before morals” (24), which means that they become “easy prey to prejudice” (24) and will then submit blindly to the authority of man. Wollstonecraft’s contemporaries, including male writers such as Rousseau, argue that women should be guided by men in all things, and so keeping women in a state of childlike innocence and naivety enables them to be more easily ruled. However, here Wollstonecraft points out a flaw in this system; such arguments are based on the premise that all men are intelligent, rational, and virtuous beings, but if the man himself is not better than a child, then, Wollstonecraft says, it would be as though “the blind lead the blind” (22).

Here, Wollstonecraft quotes Rousseau as stating that no woman should ever “feel herself independent” (25). Indeed, this is a common thread among Wollstonecraft’s male contemporaries, most of whom believe that “female education ought to be directed to one point—to render them [women] pleasing” (27). However, Wollstonecraft argues that such an education—which only equips women with pleasing and superficial attributes, all of which are designed to attract a husband—does not prepare women for marriage. Instead, it only prepares her for seduction and not for the years of partnership that will ensue. Furthermore, once she is married, a woman will stop seeking to improve herself. Wollstonecraft says that women should seek education and improvement only for themselves—rather than with the ulterior motive of finding a husband—as this would furnish them with the ability to become both a rational partner, if she were to marry, while also equipping her with the tools to practice a fulfilling single life as well: “a well-stored mind would enable a woman to support a single life with dignity” (33). 

Wollstonecraft begins this chapter by exploring physical superiority and bodily strength. Even among men, the idea of bodily strength has fallen out of fashion, and Wollstonecraft describes how many men of genius “impaired their constitutions by study or careless inattention to their health” (39), as was the fashion. Similarly, many women exaggerate their feminine frailty and weakness in order to conform to the idea of female inferiority, an idea Rousseau encourages women to practice.

Wollstonecraft argues that for both men and women, a strong body will only inform a strong mind, and vice versa. She critiques the way in which women are encouraged to practice a “sedentary life” (43), stating that “dependence of body naturally produces dependence of mind” (45). Furthermore, this difference in the ability of the female sex to withstand physical exertion, Wollstonecraft says, is only a misconception, as both boys and girls—if left to play unchecked—will similarly run “wild” (45). It is only because girls are told to play indoors and to take up pastimes such as sewing, instead of walking, that their constitutions are considerably weaker, thereby exacerbating the idea of feminine frailty and weakness. Here, Wollstonecraft calls explicitly for a change in the way women conduct themselves and in the way they are taught to conduct themselves: “It is time to effect a revolution in female manners” (47).

Wollstonecraft admits that such a revolution will take time, as the “firmly rooted prejudices” (49) and misconceptions regarding women are so deeply entrenched, it will be difficult to uproot them: “Besides, if women be educated for dependence; that is, to act according to the will of another fallible being, and submit, right or wrong, to power, where are we to stop?” (49) Women have been educated solely to prepare them for dependency on men, while men have been educated only to look for beauty and submission in women. By “education,” Wollstonecraft is referring not only to formal education, but to the educating influence of society, something which cannot be changed quickly. Wollstonecraft uses the example of the widow who must raise her large family without the help of her husband. According to Wollstonecraft, she will only be able to educate her children well if she forgets what she herself has been educated to do: “She no longer thinks of pleasing, and conscious dignity prevents her from priding herself on account of the praise which her conduct demands” (53).