She Wrote the Future of Women
Mary Wollstonecraft
Long before the chorus of women’s voices rose in unison, there was a single, defiant spark. In a world that asked women to whisper, she thundered with a pen. Her words carved space for women to think, to speak, to be. Before the idea of women’s equality had language, she gave it thought—sharp, urgent, unrelenting. In a world where women were shaped to serve, she argued they were born to reason. Her pen challenged the architecture of power, demanding that women be seen as moral and intellectual equals. Though she died shortly after giving birth, her legacy lived on in her daughter, Mary Shelley, who would come to explore the very questions her mother raised: What makes us human? Who decides our worth? Together, across the divide of life and death, mother and daughter asked the world to reckon with the consequences of denying others their full humanity.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was a pioneering English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights whose ideas laid the groundwork for modern feminism. Her most influential work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1792), is widely considered one of the earliest and most important treatises on gender equality in Western philosophy. Wollstonecraft’s life, shaped by personal hardship, intellectual ambition, and social defiance, was as radical as her ideas. Through her writings, she challenged the prevailing 18th-century notions of femininity and called for a reimagining of women's roles in society, particularly in education and politics.
Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759, in Spitalfields, London, into a struggling middle-class family. Her father, Edward John Wollstonecraft, squandered the family’s modest inheritance on ill-fated business ventures, leading to a life of financial instability and domestic strife. He was reportedly abusive, particularly toward Mary’s mother, a dynamic that deeply influenced Mary’s lifelong concern with the vulnerability of women within patriarchal systems. Denied a formal education, Wollstonecraft educated herself through reading and independent study, an act that was itself a form of rebellion in an era when intellectual opportunities for women were severely limited. She was influenced by Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, though she would later critique many of their assumptions, especially Rousseau’s views on women.
In her early twenties, Wollstonecraft worked as a governess and a teacher, professions that exposed her to the inadequacies of female education. During this period, she also formed a close-knit circle of female friends and mentors, including the writer Fanny Blood, whose death in 1785 profoundly affected Wollstonecraft and inspired her to pursue writing as a vocation. Wollstonecraft’s first published work was “Thoughts on the Education of Daughters” (1787), a conduct book that nevertheless hinted at her progressive views on women's education. She soon became part of the London radical intellectual circle, where she worked as a translator and reviewer for the publisher Joseph Johnson. Through Johnson, she met other influential thinkers, including the political theorist Thomas Paine and the scientist Joseph Priestley.
Her first major political work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Men” (1790), was a response to Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France”, in which he criticized the French Revolution and defended aristocratic privilege. Wollstonecraft’s rebuttal was both a passionate defense of republicanism and a critique of inherited wealth and social inequality.
However, it was her next work, “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” (1792), that solidified her legacy. In it, Wollstonecraft argued that women were not naturally inferior to men, but appeared so only because they lacked access to education. She contended that women should be regarded as rational beings, capable of moral and intellectual development, and that they should be educated not merely to please men but to fulfill their potential as individuals and citizens.
Wollstonecraft’s ideas were radical for their time. She questioned the institution of marriage, the sexual double standard, and the notion that women's primary function was to serve as wives and mothers. While she did not call for absolute equality in all spheres, her insistence on equal educational opportunities and recognition of women's rational capacities marked a turning point in the discourse on gender.
In 1792, Wollstonecraft traveled to France during the height of the French Revolution. She initially supported the revolution’s egalitarian ideals, though she became increasingly disillusioned by its descent into violence, especially during the Reign of Terror. While in France, she had a tumultuous affair with the American adventurer Gilbert Imlay, with whom she had a daughter, Fanny. The relationship with Imlay ended bitterly, leading to a period of personal despair for Wollstonecraft, including a suicide attempt. Nevertheless, she remained intellectually active and continued to write. Her experiences in France informed “An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution” (1794), a detailed critique of the revolution’s failures from a moral and philosophical standpoint.
Returning to England in 1795, Wollstonecraft began a relationship with the philosopher William Godwin, one of the founding figures of anarchism. Though both were critical of traditional marriage, they wed in 1797 after discovering she was pregnant, in order to secure the child’s legitimacy. Their union was one of mutual respect and intellectual exchange. In 1797, Wollstonecraft gave birth to her second daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who would later become Mary Shelley—the brilliant mind behind “Frankenstein”. Tragically, Wollstonecraft died just eleven days after childbirth from complications, leaving behind an unfinished manuscript, “Maria: or, The Wrongs of Woman”, which further explored the themes of female oppression and autonomy.
Mary Wollstonecraft's influence on modern feminism is profound and enduring. Her core argument—that women are not innately inferior to men, but appear so because of their social conditioning and lack of education—remains a foundational feminist principle. By asserting that women are rational beings deserving of the same moral and intellectual respect as men, Wollstonecraft challenged deeply ingrained patriarchal assumptions that had persisted for centuries. Second-wave feminists in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the Anglophone world, rediscovered and celebrated Wollstonecraft's work. Writers such as Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer echoed her concerns about the limited roles assigned to women and the societal structures that perpetuated inequality. Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” (1963), which critiqued the postwar ideal of domestic womanhood, can be seen as a modern parallel to Wollstonecraft’s insistence that women should be educated for independence, not for submission.
More contemporary feminist thinkers also engage with Wollstonecraft’s legacy, particularly in debates around intersectionality and inclusivity. While Wollstonecraft focused largely on the experiences of middle-class white women, modern scholars have examined her work through postcolonial and class-based lenses, both critiquing and building upon her ideas. Nonetheless, her call for systemic change, especially through education and civic participation, resonates in ongoing feminist campaigns for equal access to education, reproductive rights, political representation, and workplace equity.
In academic and theoretical circles, Wollstonecraft is credited with establishing a rationalist, Enlightenment-based foundation for feminist ethics. Her emphasis on universal human rights as a platform for gender equality prefigured many of the legal and philosophical arguments used in contemporary feminist discourse. Moreover, her critique of romanticized femininity has influenced feminist literature, gender studies, and social theory.
What makes Mary Wollstonecraft’s story even more resonant for women today is the poignancy of her legacy as both a public intellectual and a mother. Though she died before she could raise her youngest daughter, Mary Shelley inherited more than her mother’s name—she inherited a spirit of independence, rebellion, and creative fire. “Frankenstein”, published in 1818, is often seen as a reflection of the themes Wollstonecraft explored: autonomy, responsibility, alienation, and the perils of unchecked power. It's a testament to the fact that ideas—like blood—can be passed through generations. Wollstonecraft’s story is both inspiring and bittersweet. She gave her life to the cause of women’s liberation—emotionally, intellectually, and literally. She died in the act of giving birth, not just to her daughter, but metaphorically, to a future in which women would begin to shape their own destinies. That her daughter went on to become one of the most celebrated novelists in history speaks volumes. It shows us that the legacy of radical thought is not always immediate—it often blooms in the next generation. Today, when we talk about empowering women through education, access, and autonomy, we are echoing Wollstonecraft’s words. When we raise daughters to believe in their intelligence, their value, and their rights, we are continuing her work. She planted the seed of feminism at a time when the very idea of a woman speaking publicly, let alone publishing philosophical works, was scandalous. And today, that seed has grown into a global movement.
Her life reminds us that progress is never perfect or linear. It is painful, personal, and often thankless. But it is also possible. Mary Wollstonecraft imagined a different world for women—and in many ways, we are living it.
Mary Wollstonecraft was a revolutionary thinker whose ideas on education, equality, and individual rights were ahead of her time. Her life was marked by struggle and defiance, and her writings remain a powerful testament to the enduring fight for gender justice. Through her courage, intellect, and unwavering belief in the potential of women, Wollstonecraft helped shape the discourse of modern feminism and left an indelible mark on the history of human rights. Her legacy lives on not only in feminist theory and activism but in the broader societal push toward recognizing the full humanity, dignity, and capabilities of women everywhere. In a world still grappling with gender inequality, Mary Wollstonecraft’s vision remains not just relevant—but essential.
References:
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Todd, Janet. "Mary Wollstonecraft: A Revolutionary Life". New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: With Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects". London: J. Johnson, 1792.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. "A Vindication of the Rights of Men, in a Letter to the Right Honourable Edmund Burke". London: J. Johnson, 1790.
Flexner, Eleanor. "Mary Wollstonecraft: A Biography". New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1972.
Kaplan, Cora. "Mary Wollstonecraft and the Feminist Imagination". London: Routledge, 2002.
Shelley, Mary. "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus". London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones, 1818.
Tomalin, Claire. "The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft". London: Penguin Books, 1992.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. "Mary Wollstonecraft." Last modified March 2020. [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/wollstonecraft/).
Encyclopædia Britannica. "Mary Wollstonecraft." Accessed May 2025. [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Wollstonecraft](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Wollstonecraft).
