6.3.4 Formal Equality: Civil Liberties and Careers for Women (Mary Wollstonecraft)

Definition of Formal Equality:

Formal Equality

• Advocacy for Women's Rights:
  • Mary Wollstonecraft was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and a staunch proponent of formal equality. In her seminal work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), she argued that women should be granted the same civil liberties and opportunities as men, as a matter of justice and rationality.
  • Wollstonecraft believed that women's lack of formal equality was a significant barrier to their freedom and potential. She argued that without the same legal rights and opportunities as men, women could not fully participate in society or develop their abilities.
• Equality in Civil Liberties:
  • Wollstonecraft contended that women should enjoy the full range of civil liberties, including the right to education, the right to vote, and the right to own property. She argued that these rights were essential for women to achieve independence and to be recognized as rational, autonomous individuals.
  • She also criticized the legal and social structures that relegated women to subordinate roles, arguing that such discrimination was based on unfounded assumptions about women's capabilities and perpetuated their oppression.

The Right to a Career

• Economic Independence:
  • Wollstonecraft believed that for women to be truly free, they must be allowed to pursue a career and achieve economic independence. She argued that women's economic dependence on men was a key factor in their subjugation, as it limited their choices and forced them into roles that society deemed appropriate for their gender.
  • By advocating for women's right to work and pursue careers, Wollstonecraft sought to dismantle the notion that women were naturally suited only for domestic roles. She believed that women, like men, should be able to contribute to society in meaningful ways through their professional work.
• Contribution to Society:
  • Wollstonecraft argued that allowing women to have careers was not only a matter of justice but also beneficial to society as a whole. She believed that when women are free to pursue their talents and ambitions, they can make significant contributions to the economy, culture, and public life.
  • Her vision of formal equality included the idea that women should have access to the same professions and opportunities as men, and that their success should be based on merit rather than gender.

Challenging Gender Norms

• Critique of Traditional Gender Roles:
  • Wollstonecraft was critical of the traditional gender roles that confined women to the domestic sphere. She argued that these roles were socially constructed and not reflective of women's true capabilities or potential.
  • She believed that women's exclusion from public life and professional careers was a form of oppression that denied them the opportunity to develop their full potential as rational and independent beings.
• Education and Career:
  • Central to Wollstonecraft's argument for formal equality was her emphasis on education. She believed that without access to the same education as men, women would be ill-equipped to pursue careers and achieve independence.
  • Wollstonecraft's advocacy for educational equality was closely tied to her belief in formal equality, as she argued that only through education could women become capable of fully participating in society and enjoying the same rights and opportunities as men.

Legacy and Impact

• Foundation of Feminist Thought:
  • Mary Wollstonecraft's ideas on formal equality laid the groundwork for later feminist movements that sought to secure legal rights and equal opportunities for women. Her work continues to influence debates on gender equality, particularly in areas such as women's rights to education, employment, and participation in public life.
  • Her call for formal equality is a central tenet of liberal feminism, which advocates for the removal of legal and institutional barriers to women's full participation in society.
• Continuing Relevance:
  • Wollstonecraft's arguments for formal equality remain relevant today, as many of the issues she addressed—such as the gender pay gap, underrepresentation of women in certain professions, and the balancing of career and family responsibilities—continue to be significant challenges in the fight for gender equality.

Mary Wollstonecraft's advocacy for formal equality was groundbreaking in its demand that women be granted the same civil liberties and opportunities as men. She argued that true freedom for women required access to education, the right to pursue a career, and the ability to participate fully in public life. Wollstonecraft's work challenged the traditional gender norms of her time and laid the foundation for future movements toward gender equality, making her a central figure in the history of feminist thought.