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What is the relationship between gender and class in Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the
Rights of Woman?


Plan

• Introduction
o One can assume rom the title that this will be a book about the rights of
women - not about class
o Much greater emphasis placed on class than could be expected
o
• All women are the same as ‘great’ men in that they are dim because they have no
serious occupations
o Similar lifestyles - purely pursuing ‘enjoyable’ pursuits and not putting any
real effort in to vocation or improving
o Clear link between the female gender and the upper class - similar lifestyles -
upper class men are born into greatness and thus have no great desire to
improve intelligence/abilities - similar to women who only need to please
their husband - no desire to strive for excellence - those men in lower classes
want to climb and therefore truly work
• Superior class rids women of virtuosity/the more naturally women traits
o Superior class gives women some form of education, perhaps more through
accident than through specified aim - however the point remains that they
receive some education of some value
o However the cost of this is that women lose their virtuosity - the natural skills
of a woman are lost in the superior classes - those in lower classes retain
their natural abilities and are thus more womanly
• Social inequality is as much of a problem as gender inequality
o The titled reason for the work is to vindicate the rights of women - however
as much time and effort is put into vindicating the rights of the lower classes -
and making every man equal
o It appears in parts to be of greater concern to MW about the men who are
disadvantaged at birth than the women who do not receive the treatment
they perhaps deserve
• Conclusion
o Perhaps MW appreciates that for the rights of women to increase, first must
come less class inequality - all men must receive the vote before any woman
does


A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

• “I shall address my sex in a firmer tone, focussing particularly on those in the middle
class, because they appear to be in the most natural state
...
” - p5
“The human character has always been formed by the employments the individual
or class pursues; and if the faculties are not sharpened by necessity, they must
remain obtuse
...
That is
because most of them have no serious occupations; they are left to the pursuit of
pleasure, which gives to their character the triviality that makes the society of the
great so insipid
...
” - p35
“Women of the superior class do at least pick up a smattering of literature, and they
converse more with men on general topics, so they acquire more knowledge than
the women who ape their fashions and faults without sharing their advantages
...
Many poor women maintain their
children by the sweat of their brow, and keep together families that the vices of the
fathers would have scattered; but gentlewomen are too lazy to be actively virtuous,
and are softened rather than refined by civilization” - p52
“Men have superior strength of body; but if it weren’t for mistaken notions of
beauty, women would become strong enough to be able to earn enough to live on,
which is the true definition of ‘independent’; and to bear the bodily inconveniences
and exertions that are needed to strengthen the mind
...
” -
p87
“The school for the younger children, from five to nine years of age, ought to be
absolutely free and open to all classes
...
23
No
...
617-634

• “But in a society where equal claims were granted to men and women, or to those
with property and those with little, strong minds would be formed by the contest of
judgement so as mutually to fortify the different parties - p 625

Radical Politics in Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
...
In fact, the feminism that animates the Rights of Woman is merely a special
instance of th political radicalism that animates the Rights of Men
...
” - p159
“it is significant that in the RoW Wollstonecraft more often likens women to the rich
and powerful than to the poor and weak, as would seem most natural
...
” - p159
“But characteristically, woman is described as a privileged slave, an underling
comfortable in a debasement of which she herself approves
...
” - p163



Lecture

• French revolution precisely excluded women from its political agenda - written as
reaction to this realisation
• Rousseau key target for this text - women have to learn how to please
• Freedom not a function of physical capacity - doesn’t matter you’re not locked up -
what really matters is freedom of the mind - patriarchy colonises mind and causes
no sense of self/autonomy
• Not a book about rights - more about right to education rather than political/civil
rights - why not?
o She does believe that there are deep natural differences between genders -
natural hierarchy - men capable of greater nobility
o Setting out to assert equality between genders - also talks about natural
difference
• About the right of women to be educated - to have reason respected and nurtured -
right of self-development/self-realisation - the right of a woman to become virtuous
• Women rational - obvious because they are given duties - to be capable of a duty
one must understand what they have to do ergo must have reason
• Feminism - is there an essential difference between men and women? - if there is
what follows?
o If one concedes there is a difference - easy to argue there ought to be a
natural division of labour /hierarchy
o “I have sighed…great difference between man and man…”
§ Objecting to the hierarchy between men and women but also all
social hierarchy - this is a proto socialist text - hierarchy persay is bad
for both parties - turns person with power into tyrannous monster

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and turns servant into slavish, obnoxious toad - applicable for women,
poor people, those in conditions of service
§ Question about relationship between nature and civilisation - nature
good in sense that it stipulates sense of reason - civilisation that has
caused the rot - don’t think that the way that the world is is because
of the natural order of things - the world is that way because of a
corrupt civilisation
o “The conduct and manners of women…minds not in a healthy state…”
§ Talking about the process of acculturation
o Virtue impossible if you have a hierarchical culture
Rights discourse associated with liberalism form of political philosophy - this is wrong
- not present here
o Her project entirely premised on a religious/theological agenda
o Her view of freedom a republican view of freedom - not liberal view
o Overwhelmingly interested in morality - committed to making sure everyone
is good - not liberal
Religion
o “When that wise being that created us…”
o She sees God as having absolutely made us - absolutely committed to
existence and obligations that we owe to God -
o Religious utopia - looking forward to a utopia which can be moulded
Liberty
o Neo Roman/republican theory of liberty
o Liberal view is that you are free if no one is stopping you physically by doing
what you want to do
o Not sufficient to make you free for the republican - along with physical liberty
need to not be dependent on the will of another person
o W applies this theory of liberty to relationships between sexes
§ If you are married, even if the husband is nice, nonetheless you are
subject to his will - he could at any point take away his liberty - as far
as you are a wife you are a slave - why a slave?
1
...
If a slave in that way you turn into a slavish person - corrupts
you to behave in a slavish way - can’t focus on yourself
because all your attention focused on pleasing your master -
takes you away from virtue
§ Way to solve this is to get rid of dependency
Morality



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