In her seminal work A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft argues that education is a necessary condition for developing virtue or ethical, right, and more ways of thinking and behavior. Wollstonecraft writes that learning and exercising one’s own reason are the only paths to developing virtue and women (Wollstonecraft 21). However, unlike men, women of the author’s time were limited in their access to education and had few opportunities to broaden their horizons. In this belief, Wollstonecraft echoed Plato and his Allegory of the Cave . In this work, the Greek philosopher argues that one’s perceptions may differ from reality, and people who are not allowed to receive knowledge will never know the real world (Plato). Thus, Wollstonecraft believes that women, equally to men, should be allowed the right to education as it affects them and the world around them.
In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft insists that men and women are equal human beings and, therefore, should be offered the same rights and opportunities in life. The feminist writer argues that, although men and women are different in their nature, “their virtues should differ in respect to their nature” (Wollstonecraft 27). In saying this, Wollstonecraft holds men and women to the same moral standards and criticizes those who contend that a woman’s role in society should be reduced to ornamental function and childbearing. It can be argued that Wollstonecraft inspired the feminist movement, specifically, individualist feminist tradition, that emphasizes personal autonomy and individualism. In particular, her unwavering support of women’s right to education inspired many women to pursue learning, improve their knowledge of the world, and become more virtuous.