Mary Wollstonecraft

• Freedom

  Defines freedom as the ability for women to choose their paths of life , advocating for negative freedom ( freedom through oppression ) through legal rights and freedoms
• Freedom: Counterpoints

  Traditional Conservatives: true freedom for women lies within the confines of family and traditional roles

  Marxists: critique concept of freedom is meaningless without addressing systemic economic inequalities
• Important work

  A Vindication of the Rights of Women 1792
• Examples

  Title IX = prohibits gender discrimination in education, reflecting her advocacy of women's rights

  Equal Pay Act 1963 = aims to eliminate wage disparity based on gender supporting her ideas of economic independence

  Gender Equality Act 2010= promotes equality and prohibits discrimination based on gender
• Human nature

  • Views humans as rational beings capable of moral reasoning
  • argues that both men and women possess the capacity for reason and should be granted equal opportunities for education and personal development
• Human nature: Counterpoints

  1. Traditional Conservative thinkers: women are naturally suited for domestic roles and that education should reflect this
  2. Marxist Thinkers: Her focus on individual rights overlooks to need address class struggles faced by women
• Society

  • Critiques the patriarchal society that limits women's contributions beyond traditional domestic roles and emphasises equality and opportunity
• Society: Counterpoints

  1. Anarchists: Societal structures must be dismantled entirely to achieve true equality not just reformed
  2. Traditional Conservative: traditional family structures are essential for societal stability and should not be disrupted
  3. Social Democrats: Her ideas are valuable, they must be integrated into broader social reforms
• State

  • state intervention to ensure women's rights and education, believing legal reforms are necessary to dismantle systemic barriers to women's participation in society
  • supports republicanism
  • opposing monarchy - it perpetuates inequality and restricts individual freedom
• State: Counterpoints

  1. Conservative Thinkers: stability is best achieved through traditional authority
  2. Anarchist thinkers: reject need for state, argue for a more decentralised approach to societal organisation
  3. Social liberals: while state intervention is necessary, it should be balanced with respect for individual freedoms
• Economy

  • emphasises importance of economic independence for women
  • argues that access to education and unemployment is essential for women to achieve personal fulfilment and autonomy
• Economy: Counterpoints

  1. Marxist: Economic independence is not feasible under capitalist strictures, which exploit labour
  2. Gradualist socialist: advocate for more gradual approach to economic reform that considers the complexities of class dynamics
  3. Anarchists: economic independence should be self organised rather than state intervention
• Property

  • emphasises the importance of property as a means for women to gain independence
  • she argues that economic resources are crucial for achieving personal autonomy and social status
• Property: Counterpoints

  1. traditional conservatives: property ownership should align with traditional family structures and might argue that property rights should be limited to maintain family integrity and traditional roles
  2. Marxist: critique notion of property as inherently tied to class oppression and exploitation