Analysis Of Wollstonecraft's A Vindication For The Rights Of Women

Today in society women are viewed as strong, independent people who have many opportunities and choices regarding how they want to live. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case. In most of the early 1900’s, being a wife and a mother was the only option for women, and those who did not like that path were considered “unfeminine.” During the 1950’s and 1960’s, this began to change. Women 's liberation groups formed such as the New York Radical Women, and many powerful leaders emerged, such as Gloria Steinem, Robin Morgan, and Betty Friedan. These powerful leaders influenced women to become increasingly independent through the decades.

Although it is granted that men are stronger than women, it can still be maintained that countless women have tried and passed the issued physical fitness tests. In addition, many would suggest that women lower the moral and unit cohesion as an argument against women fighting in combat. In some units cohesion may not be gained between male and female recruits. However, studies done on Norwegian and Israel armies women bring useful skills to their units and have increases the cohesion within their assigned units. Another argument many believe in is that the military is not appropriate for women due to its traditional gender stereotypes.

Yes, because there are still traditional races and countries who treat women unjustly and still sees them as people who should only stay at home. They should not be given proper education because their sole purpose is to be a wife and mother and eventually serve their families instead of having a professional career. On the other hand, men are required to provide and make sure that their families’ needs are met. No, because women were already empowered, well-educated and capable of a lot of things. They already had their voices heard and perhaps already won the fight over stereotyping of gender roles.

Women stay home and their roles are to take care of the children and they don’t make any income therefore this leads to them depending on men. Wollstonecraft mentions that women are taught to cultivate beauty and therefore states, “like flowers which are planted in too rich a soil, strength and uselessness are sacrificed to beauty” (95). Thus stating that those women who lived during this century with the ability to only exclude some “are anxious to inspire love, when they ought to cherish a nobler ambition and by their abilities and virtues exact respect” (96). Wollstonecraft’s views aligned with those of other Enlightenment thinkers especially Rousseau because he thought that women weren’t capable of thinking rationally. However Wollstonecraft argues that they are not able to think rationally now because they are more concentrated on beauty.

She feels women are ruled by men because they are weak and Antigone has asked Ismene to help her in breaking the law, and to giving her brother a proper burial. By doing so Ismene knows that the law Creon has established is going to be broken. She tells Antigone, “We are only women, we cannot fight men” (Prologue 48). Ismene believes that women are in no position to question the

First of all, he thinks that they are not capable to reach the intellectual level of men. Furthermore, an over-educated woman could then surpass the intellectual abilities of her husband . It is thus necessary, for the good of the social order to limit their access to knowledge. In continuation, Vivés, a Valencian scholar and humanist who lived in the sixteenth century, recommended an education based on readings and writings, but added women shouldn’t neglect household work, such as learning how to cook or to hold a needle for example. Their only task was to please their husbands by using their natural charms and their conversation, they had to help them in domestics affairs and they had to raise the children in a Christian way

While John Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” characters have both Physical and emotional masculine characteristics,  Steinbeck’s character, Elisa, can not fully accept this characteristic due to society seeing women as weak. Voskuil’s character, Mama, only thinks about being more feminine to gain her oldest daughters acceptance. In Steinbeck’s “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa is described as a masculine women even though society would rather her not be. After a moment of watching her husband, Steinbeck describes Eliza's appearance: “Her face was lean and strong and her eyes were clear as water. Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume…” (449).

Hagar’s way of thinking about independence, personal goals and the capabilities of a woman were very innovative for the time. Being an educated and opinionated woman during this period was a threat that needed to be shut down by the dominant man. There was no place for an independent woman in society. Even though Hagar knew she could thrive on her own, constantly being told that she needed to be dependant on a man by not only her inner circle, but her society caused Hagar to feel inadequate or lost without a man to properly guide her. Eventually forcing woman like Hagar to become good house wives and live lives that they did not necessarily want for

Some women think we have to dress and act just to impress men. And the truth is, we don't. We need to be dressing and acting for God. Although stereotypes are slowly becoming a thing of the past, people still believe that women should only be used for keeping the house and the children in order. Men have had control over us for decades, but it is refreshing to know that women are starting to stand out and break

The subordinate role and main responsibilities of woman in the Renaissance was to obey the social barriers bestowed by the government and church to have absolute obedience, love and moderation, towards her authority privileged husband. The standards and social acceptance by society in the Renaissance was the dominant role of men over woman. Woman had many inequalities in society that promoted the ideals of male dominance inside and outside the household. Numerous restrictions were set on woman both in civil and canon law. Social laws and expectations were held against woman not allowing them to hold office or any significant jobs during that time because their position was to obey and give service to the men.