A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

'Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience.' A compelling call for women's equality in reason, education and rights, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy – and is still widely read to this day. First published in 1792, Wollstonecraft's groundbreaking essay, written against the tumultuous backdrop of the French revolution, was an immediate success. Challenging the idea that women are inferior to men, Wollstonecraft argued that women deserved the same access to education, and the chance to develop as independent individuals. Blending Enlightenment ideals with sharp social critique, this pioneering work laid the foundation for modern feminist thought, provocatively – and successfully – defying gender norms in the eighteenth century. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 – 1797) was an English writer, philosopher and women's rights advocate. A bold voice in the Age of Enlightenment, she argued that men and women ought to be treated as rational human beings, with equal educational rights and opportunities, laying the groundwork of modern feminism. Wollstonecraft is the mother of acclaimed author, Mary Shelley.