WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT

OBJECTI VES To understand Enlightenment ideas as they related to women during the 18 th c. To recognize important individuals and their contributions in this area during the time. To analyze the relations between ideas of the 18 th c. to the women’s rights today.

 Some promotion of women’s rights  Liberty & equality should apply to women and men  Laid foundations of modern feminism  Inferiority and suppression continues  Denied liberty and equality  Rise of Cult of Domesticity

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT BACKGROUND : Foundations of potential gender equality found in the works of 17 th century philosophes and thinkers. Descartes: All women had the ability to be educated Locke: Women equally independent in state of nature

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT THE PHILOSOPHES ON WOMEN THE POSITIVE VIEWS  Some blamed society for women’s inequality  Believed in women’s intellectual potential MARQUIS DE CONDORCET: Argued that women should have equal rights regarding: Citizenship Education 1790 publishes: De l'admission des femmes au droit de cité "For the Admission to the Rights of Citizenship For Women”

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT THE PHILOSOPHES ON WOMEN THE NEGATIVE VIEWS  Promotion of old notions of women’s inferiority & weakness  Women continually linked with irrationality & emotion  Excluded women from discussions of:  Liberty  Equality  Reason  Science

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT THE PHILOSOPHES ON WOMEN ROUSSEAU  Social contract included one between men & women  Men protect women while women serve men  Emile: articulation of idea of SEPARATE SPHERES  Patriarchal families  men’s roles were in the PUBLIC sphere  women’s roles were in the PRIVATE sphere  glorification of women in a domestic role DOMINANT VIEW TODAY?

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT WOMEN OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT  Many women recognized how the ideas of Enlightenment were important.  Women influenced Enlightenment as salonnieres & sponsors  Women began to demand greater role in the intellectual life around them  Women began demand that the inequities between men and women be broken down. MARIE-THÉRÈSE RODET GEOFFRIN One of a very number of women to actively participate in the Enlightenment.

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT WOMEN OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT MARY ASTELL ( )  Challenged notion of separate spheres  Criticized lack of liberties for women  Advocated equal educational opportunities Considered first English feminist IF ALL MEN ARE BORN FREE, HOW IS IT THAT ALL WOMEN ARE BORN SLAVES?

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT WOMEN OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT ( )  A Vindication of the Rights of Woman o advocated equality of sexes o developed main doctrines of women’s movement o education was key to equality and independence o argued that women’s education should be equal to their social position o women are essential to the nation because they educate its children Women were not ornaments or property but human beings that deserved the same rights as men.

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT WOMEN OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT OLYMPE DE GOUGES ( ) 1791: Déclaration des droits de la Femme et de la Citoyenne Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen women had ability to reason and make moral decisions women not same as men, but equal women had right to free speech

WOMEN AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT  Did not result in real advances for most women in 18 th c.  Education extended but:  became gender specific  women excluded from many fields  women discouraged from higher education  Cult of Domesticity:  restricted women’s roles and opportunities  gave birth to:  new feminist consciousness  advocacy of rights & opportunities for women