The Age Of Enlightenment Promoted The Power Of Reason In Order To Reform Society And To Advance Knowledge
The Age of Enlightenment promoted the power of reason in order to reform society and to advance knowledge. The leaders of the movement criticized the traditional beliefs and institutions. As a result, women’s social and economic roles were re-evaluated. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft, who lived during the last stages of the Enlightenment, wrote The Vindication of the Rights of Women where she clearly criticized women’s education and sexual discrimination. On the other hand, Jean-Jacques Rousseau delegated his work to improve overall education for both boys and girls, but, at the same time, suggested that women should be limited to the their roles of mothers and wives. Even though Mary Wollstonecraft and Jean-Jacques Rousseau had different opinions on how women should be raised and educated, their written work is equally important for us to understand people’s views and attitudes toward the gender roles of that time.
Rousseau, in his 1762 book Emily, believed that the only thing that women have in common with men is that they both are of the same species. He also added that, according to Nature’s “particular destination,”1 women must be raised and educated differently from men because, even though both sexes contribute equally to the family and society, they do so in very different ways. Women are responsible for raising children and managing their households while men provide intellectual base and financial support for their families. He viewed women's options are entirely limited to the roles of wives and mothers; and, those few women who did try to take a different passage felt “short on their own possibilities without attaining to ours.”2
In order to create a perfect balance, Rousseau believed, a man must be “active and strong”3 while a woman is “passive and weak.”4 From the early age, he noticed, girls occupy their minds by playing with dolls and jewelry while boys prefer more active games. So, it is only natural for the girls to be discouraged
Rousseau, in his 1762 book Emily, believed that the only thing that women have in common with men is that they both are of the same species. He also added that, according to Nature’s “particular destination,”1 women must be raised and educated differently from men because, even though both sexes contribute equally to the family and society, they do so in very different ways. Women are responsible for raising children and managing their households while men provide intellectual base and financial support for their families. He viewed women's options are entirely limited to the roles of wives and mothers; and, those few women who did try to take a different passage felt “short on their own possibilities without attaining to ours.”2
In order to create a perfect balance, Rousseau believed, a man must be “active and strong”3 while a woman is “passive and weak.”4 From the early age, he noticed, girls occupy their minds by playing with dolls and jewelry while boys prefer more active games. So, it is only natural for the girls to be discouraged