Mary Wollstonecraft

Question 1

key ideas

Answer 1

1. reason: women are rational and independent beings capable of reason
2. formal equality: in order to be free, women should enjoy full civil liberties and be allowed to have a career

Question 2

human nature

Answer 2

human nature should be viewed in optimistic terms and, since both men and women are able to act in a rational way, women should be entitled to the same rights as men

Question 3

the state

Answer 3

• 18th-cent. state measures and social attitudes assumed women were not rational and so they could not enjoy individual freedom
• few women owned property or had rewarding jobs, and, within marriage, they were not legally independent
• women were not permitted to vote, which contradicted the concept of ‘government by consent’

Question 4

society

Answer 4

• to be equal and free, women should enjoy full civil liberties and be able to pursue a career, rather than be economically dependent on a man
• formal education was vital in this process since it would give women self-respect and help them to realise their potential
• marriage had to be a truly equal partnership so that women could choose freely between having a family or a career