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A review by thechaliceofaries
A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
4.0
"Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience."
Feminism is always a complicated topic to write about, because I've seen its focal elements vary by the contexts they're applied to. In the West, the third wave of feminism tends to focus a lot on body politics, sexual empowerment, and intersectionality - all of which are critical, of course, in the fight for true equality. I understand and respect these values, and don't mean in any way to discredit them.
This review, though, is centered around the type of feminism I think is still highly necessary, and often underdeveloped, in the ethnic and religious cultures I grew up around. There, feminism is still fighting its earliest battle: the idea that women are no less intelligent, capable or deserving of freedom/independence than men. Sexism prevails in so many archaic ways, and I see it every single day in my culture. Women are beat into submission, raped, and even murdered for "indiscretions" as minor as dressing a certain way or acting against misogynistic ideals. They're expected to be docile, obedient, complacent. They're expected to bear disrespect and subjugation without complaint. Equal access to education and employment is a privilege only afforded to those occupying higher social classes. Their bodies are made the properties of the men in their lives, and their free will only extends as far as they comply with the dictates of their fathers, brothers, and husbands. It's hard not to view this type of prejudice as utterly dehumanising, a reduction of women's value to the sum of their reproductive parts.
Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Right of Women" is considered the first feminist philosophical text ever written. It was published in the 18th century, and many of the issues it discusses have now lost their relevance in Western countries, where such ideas are common sense.
But when I read that quote at the top of my review, I'm reminded of how much more work there is to be done for women's rights in my culture. The fact that a woman is more than a weakling in constant need of male protection/guardianship, whose morality is more than just the responsibility of the men around her, is still highly controversial in places. Wollstonecraft's feminism has been criticized for being too didactic and harsh against women, and while I agree, I think we need to remember the rhetorical context of the work itself. It was written from frustration at the state of affairs in a century rife with gender inequality. I relate to and understand that frustration very well myself when I bear witness to the misogyny in my own culture. Towards the second half of the book her ideas get progressively more ascetic, but I think my main takeaway from this was about the importance of education. A lack of education is the root of so much inequality in the world, and though I am not convinced on everything in this book, I certainly appreciate the value of her call to educate women.
When I call myself a feminist, I am thinking especially of these women in my culture who would benefit from the basic principles in this book. Your voices aren't forgotten, your sufferings no less valid. We may be fighting a different battle than our contemporaries in the West, but it is still a fiercely important one. Keep doing the good work, keep pushing for gender reforms, and most of all - keep strong in your conviction that your womanhood is a source of STRENGTH, not that of shame and servitude. You are powerful, intelligent, and important; please never forget that.
Feminism is always a complicated topic to write about, because I've seen its focal elements vary by the contexts they're applied to. In the West, the third wave of feminism tends to focus a lot on body politics, sexual empowerment, and intersectionality - all of which are critical, of course, in the fight for true equality. I understand and respect these values, and don't mean in any way to discredit them.
This review, though, is centered around the type of feminism I think is still highly necessary, and often underdeveloped, in the ethnic and religious cultures I grew up around. There, feminism is still fighting its earliest battle: the idea that women are no less intelligent, capable or deserving of freedom/independence than men. Sexism prevails in so many archaic ways, and I see it every single day in my culture. Women are beat into submission, raped, and even murdered for "indiscretions" as minor as dressing a certain way or acting against misogynistic ideals. They're expected to be docile, obedient, complacent. They're expected to bear disrespect and subjugation without complaint. Equal access to education and employment is a privilege only afforded to those occupying higher social classes. Their bodies are made the properties of the men in their lives, and their free will only extends as far as they comply with the dictates of their fathers, brothers, and husbands. It's hard not to view this type of prejudice as utterly dehumanising, a reduction of women's value to the sum of their reproductive parts.
Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Right of Women" is considered the first feminist philosophical text ever written. It was published in the 18th century, and many of the issues it discusses have now lost their relevance in Western countries, where such ideas are common sense.
But when I read that quote at the top of my review, I'm reminded of how much more work there is to be done for women's rights in my culture. The fact that a woman is more than a weakling in constant need of male protection/guardianship, whose morality is more than just the responsibility of the men around her, is still highly controversial in places. Wollstonecraft's feminism has been criticized for being too didactic and harsh against women, and while I agree, I think we need to remember the rhetorical context of the work itself. It was written from frustration at the state of affairs in a century rife with gender inequality. I relate to and understand that frustration very well myself when I bear witness to the misogyny in my own culture. Towards the second half of the book her ideas get progressively more ascetic, but I think my main takeaway from this was about the importance of education. A lack of education is the root of so much inequality in the world, and though I am not convinced on everything in this book, I certainly appreciate the value of her call to educate women.
When I call myself a feminist, I am thinking especially of these women in my culture who would benefit from the basic principles in this book. Your voices aren't forgotten, your sufferings no less valid. We may be fighting a different battle than our contemporaries in the West, but it is still a fiercely important one. Keep doing the good work, keep pushing for gender reforms, and most of all - keep strong in your conviction that your womanhood is a source of STRENGTH, not that of shame and servitude. You are powerful, intelligent, and important; please never forget that.