A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects

Wollstonecraft’s central argument is that it is in the best interests of society to provide women with a proper education. What constitutes a “proper” education, according to Wollstonecraft? What are the benefits she foresees this practice providing to not only women, but also society? 

Teaching Suggestion: This question asks students to find and assemble the various elements of Wollstonecraft’s argument about education that are scattered throughout her treatise. Since this requires review of a large amount of text, you might consider allowing students to work in groups, even if they complete their responses later independently in writing. You might extend this conversation by offering students this overview of the importance of women’s education and then asking which of these findings accord with Wollstonecraft’s argument. Students may be interested in debating the limitations of her argument: “Which factors are personal and which are societal?”

Differentiation Suggestion: Literal thinkers and those with organizational difficulties may struggle to synthesize the various elements of Wollstonecraft’s argument in a logical order. These students may benefit from creating a flowchart showing the elements of a “proper” education as “causes,” the intellectual benefits to women as “intermediate outcomes,” and the changes in women’s relationships, characters, and contributions to society as “final outcomes.