A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Themes

This Study Guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Themes

This Study Guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
This section contains 928 words
(approx. 3 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Study Guide

Gender

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman dismisses the Eve of the Bible and of Milton's Paradise Lost as the kind of woman patriarchy longs for. (In a patriarchy, society is organized around male supremacy, the dependence of wives and children on fathers, and legal descent/inheritance through the male line. In such a setup, males control most social power.) According to Wollstonecraft, the myths and behaviors of males in Western societies (especially the rich) produce power relationships that squeeze women into a desired mold, preventing them from developing their full human potential. Men are able to establish patriarchies even in relatively liberal Western societies through laws and customs, lack of access for women to public spheres like politics and education, and female economic dependence.

Gender is the set of behavioral, cultural, and psychological qualities typically associated with a sex (sex being determined by biological evidence). For example...

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This section contains 928 words
(approx. 3 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Study Guide
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