The Extent of Women's Rights Vindication by the Beginning of the Essay

The Extent of Women's Rights Vindication by the Beginning of the Twenty-First - Essay Example She argued that both men and women should be regarded as intellectual equals. She helped raise the issues of women’s right to education. Although written in the 18th century, Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman provides a lot of insights on the issues faced by women and feminism in the 21st century. Wollstonecraft is considered as the mother of feminism and her views have helped shape the feminist movements across Europe and in the entire world. In her book, she examines the question of education and the significance of giving women a more liberal education so as to provide an equal platform for both men and women in the society. She also advocates for more treatises to be written with regard to the nature and existence of the gender differences that exist between women and men in the society (Wollstonecraft, 2009). She also criticizes her contemporary scholars such as Rosseau, who had stated that women should only be taught to obey and respect th eir male counterparts. Wollstonecraft fought against such misconceived philosophies and disrespect to women, who in her opinion should be equal to men. She was also critical of Edirne Burke’s opinion that men should only govern themselves. The main premise of Wollstonecraft’s argument was that the society can be much better place with the future of children made much easier if only women receive the same education as men. For a long time in the history of human beings, women have been regarded as being inferior to women. They were left out of decision making processes in the community and their roles in the society reduced to reproduction and production. Women were revered by men, but only for their looks and appearance, their reproductive capacity and for their little contribution to the economy of the society. These led to women being viewed more as objects of fulfillment of men’s desires, rather than as human beings. It’s only with the ideas of critica l individuals such as Wollstonecraft who questioned the place of women in the society, which gave rise to feminism and feminist movements. There have been significant improvements in the way the society perceives the role of women since the publication of Wollstonecraft’s book. Women in the 21st century can now have access to education, employment, legal and civil rights, as well as enjoying freedoms and responsibilities that they did not enjoy in the 18th century. There is however still a lot that need to be done in this respect, to ensure that women occupy a more respected place in the society and be treated equally as men. There are still cases of vindication of women’s rights today in the 21st century. Women still face a lot of challenges battling with stereotypes and a conservative culture that does not give them an opportunity to explore their potential (Gordon, Lyndall 2005). According to Wollstonecraft, the place of women in the society can only be said to have improved if the women can be treated as useful and rational citizens. Once this is achieved, women will be considered being equal to men. She further states that the only way this can be achieved is through forming good friendships and between men and women and that both should recognize that they are rational creatures and no one is better than the other. Wollstonecraft’s writings on feminism glimmer some of the issues women encounter in the modern society. A vindication of the rights of women is a very good example of an unbelievably insightful look in to the life of women in the society. Basically, the text examines the conditions of women, women’