Virginia Li – Olympe de Gouges and Mary Wollstonecraft Response

Posted on September 30, 2021 by VIRGINIA LI
  1. One of the seventeen items in De Gouges’ “Declaration of the Rights of Woman” that seemed interesting to me was item VII. The first line in item VII was “No woman is an exception,” which stood out to me because she is saying women should get punished because of the crime they committed. In item VII, she is also saying women should be held to the same standards as men. Since they should be held to the same standards, they should follow and be punished according to the law that was created for all members of society. No woman should be an exception just because she is a woman.
  2. What both texts seem to be saying about marriage is that marriage at that time was bad for women. Women are taught to please their husbands and be obedient. However, once the charm goes away, the woman will be abandoned by her husband. The women had to rely significantly on their husbands so that they could survive. I agree with the concerns that both women are stating in their text because, at that time, women were treated like dolls, so they had a tough life trying to constantly please their husbands so that they wouldn’t be abandon. Their life revolved around just one guy that might not even stay with her if he didn’t find her to be pleasing. They had no independence or financial income to support themselves.
  3. Reading the text in the 21st century makes me feel glad I was born during this time because I have my right to freedom and independence. Since I have a 21st-century mindset, I pity the women who had to endure such hardships trying to please their husbands constantly. I can’t even imagine myself in those women’s shoes, trying to please their husbands continually. An issue that De Gouges and Wollstonecraft address that still seems relevant to us today is the expectations of women and how they should act. There is an expectation for women to cook and clean at home for her husband. Also, even if a woman has a career, she is expected to quit her job to take care of her child. Even though it is the 21st century, there are still expectations of how women should act.
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