Teach the Women for Goodness' Sake

    Although probably not a feminist, Mary Wollstonecraft does make a strong argument for the rights of women. In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman she argues that women need to be educated. In order to be the kind of wife that woman should be, a woman must first be educated. Originally published in 1792, this was the beginning of a long movement for women’s rights. Unfortunately, this is still a problem in some countries as seen in He Named Me Malala, a documentary about Malala Yousafzai.

    Mary Wollstonecraft had strong opinions and was not afraid to publish them. In the beginning she asks "And how can woman be expected to co-operate unless she know why she ought to be virtuous?". Without education, women cannot act the way they are supposed to. The education will give women the knowledge they need to be virtuous. Her hope is that women will "acquire strength, both of mind and body" during their education. She wants women to be healthy and smart instead of frail. This does not mean they have to be bodybuilders, they shouldn't be as strong as a man, but they should get some physical activity; they should be able to survive on their own. After her husband published details of her private life, her ideas were not talked about for over a century. When her work was republished, however, it had an influence on feminists. 

    Unlike Wollstonecraft, Malala Yousafzai would be considered a feminist. Malala dared to go to school and was shot by the Taliban because of it. This was meant to silence her and everyone else fighting for the education of women but now her story is being shared. Education is not normal for women in Swat Valley, Pakistan, where she is from. As she mentions in the trailer, if she had ordinary parents then she would “have two children now”. At 17, this is unimaginable for most people. In Pakistan, this is normal. For those who have not seen this documentary, check out the trailer. Malala has a very strong message to share about the need for education and nothing is stopping her now.          
     Mary Wollstonecraft would not be considered a feminist by today’s standards, but she does believe in a few rights for women. She pushed for strides towards equality even if it wasn’t quite total equality. Malala Yousafzai dared to fight for the rights of Pakistani women to be educated knowing there would be consequences. She stood amongst the crowd to fight for what she believes in. There is still an equality struggle now, but because of women like Wollstonecraft and Yousafzai, women can be educated and there is a continious fight for their equality.