When thinking about the Enlightenment, the discussion of women’s rights may not be something that comes to mind, but there is a major connection between the two. During the Enlightenment, natural rights were considered very often. There were changes being made to benefit people in terms of freedom, political participation and quality of life in general. Today, and throughout time since the Enlightenment, the topic of women’s rights has come up frequently. Although women have the same rights as men, it took a long time for this to happen and they still really are not treated as well as men. Overall, they are paid less, have lower positions than men in the workplace and many do not get the same level of respect as men do. In America and many
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Although they usually did not get much attention from the men, ideas from many women were major parts of the Enlightenment. Someone who is considered one of the main figures of equality for women during the Enlightenment is Mary Wollstonecraft. During this time women really had no rights at all. As soon as they were married they gave up any of the rights they did have to their husbands and were basically the property of their husbands. Wollstonecraft advocated for the fact that both men and women were humans with the same inalienable rights - “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In 1792, she published her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Publishing this was a very bold move on her part, but it certainly helped to spark something in the minds of many women around Europe. She wanted women everywhere to be free to pursue what they wanted and be able to participate in the government through voting. A specific quote from Wollstone that stands out is this, “I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex, Let woman share the rights, and she will emulate the virtues of man; for she must grow more perfect when emancipated...” (SOURCE) This quotes provides people today with a good summary of what Mary Wollstonecraft was aiming for, “the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex”, in simpler terms, “freedom”. Although there were obviously many other women involved, Mary Wollstonecraft can be seen as a representation of feminism during The
Although they usually did not get much attention from the men, ideas from many women were major parts of the Enlightenment. Someone who is considered one of the main figures of equality for women during the Enlightenment is Mary Wollstonecraft. During this time women really had no rights at all. As soon as they were married they gave up any of the rights they did have to their husbands and were basically the property of their husbands. Wollstonecraft advocated for the fact that both men and women were humans with the same inalienable rights - “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. In 1792, she published her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Publishing this was a very bold move on her part, but it certainly helped to spark something in the minds of many women around Europe. She wanted women everywhere to be free to pursue what they wanted and be able to participate in the government through voting. A specific quote from Wollstone that stands out is this, “I speak of the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex, Let woman share the rights, and she will emulate the virtues of man; for she must grow more perfect when emancipated...” (SOURCE) This quotes provides people today with a good summary of what Mary Wollstonecraft was aiming for, “the improvement and emancipation of the whole sex”, in simpler terms, “freedom”. Although there were obviously many other women involved, Mary Wollstonecraft can be seen as a representation of feminism during The