Gender equality has been a topic of discussion among many scholars over the years. Based on the perception of the society, women have been considered as inferior sex to men, and this assumption attributes to several reasons regarding the disparity in physical nature and virtues. According to chapter two of this discussion, Wollstonecraft argues that the society has implanted a concrete and ideal form regarding how women should exist and behave. This stereotypic notion has rendered women to see themselves as tender beings, innocent, and objects for men, thus demanding of them to be kind, gentle, and beautiful. In addition, Wollstonecraft mentions the unfair equality of opportunities that men have received that has made women to be left behind as the inferior sex. These opportunities include education, work, and a voice to be heard, which gives men an upper hand. Therefore, it is evident that the sexuality of women has generally been considered as inferior and unless this ideology changes, our next generation will not be any better off.
Evidence of inferiority regarding the female sexuality
The ideology that women were created for attractiveness and softness renders them to be seen as the inferior sex. According to Milton’s saying, our mothers have stereotyped our women to have the nature of being tender, docile blind obedient, and objects to gratify the senses of a man (Wollstonecraft np). This concept makes the society to incline in those kinds of perceptions, thus giving the female sex a softer look as compared to the men.
Besides, the concept of education is another factor that illuminates the sexuality of women as inferior. Over the years, men have been granted an upper hand in acquiring education that makes them be seen as virtuous beings. However, Wollstonecraft contends this argument by stipulating that if both men and women had received equal representation in education, there would not be any disparity in sexuality. Something that remains constant is the mode of reasoning, which is the only thing that women tend to tie with men. While Rousseau argues that the virtuous character goes hand in hand with reasoning, it is unfortunate to confirm Wollstonecraft’s idea that men were not build to endeavor to have the masculine characters, rather the qualities were imposed on them by the society. Therefore, if the female sex were imposed similar qualities from their childhood, there would be no difference in sexuality.
Inspirations developed from the reading
Therefore, much of today’s disparity in sexuality among male and female originates from the societal impositions to deliberately make the male sex as superior to women. In fact, during childhood, there resonates no much difference between the male and the female sex. However, based on the social teachings and mode of conduct, they provide different lessons that make the female child to consider themselves as the weaker sex through illuminating the importance of their beauty and innocence. Furthermore, equality in resources, especially education makes a big difference. Wollstonecraft provides an illustration of soldiers who receive equal training, but in the end, the male soldiers are still viewed as superior to the female soldiers. Therefore, I wind up this motion by depicting the need to develop morals before manners. This means that the society should focus on developing moral values among both male and female instead of instilling a particular mode of behavior among the men and a different one to the women. If we continue to make the female sex to have the manners of humbleness, inferiority, and objects of men, we are doing no good to the future generations.
Works Cited
Wollstonecraft, Mary. A vindication of the rights of woman. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library, 1759.
