<p><strong>“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves”</strong></p><p><br><ins>Explanation:</ins> In this powerful quote, the author, a leading figure in the earliest phases of <em>Feminist</em> movement implies that the true essence of feminism is not to exercise control over men but rather for women to have control over their own lives. </p><p>It carefully demarcates the fine line between autonomy and dominance. The former means to have the agency to make decisions for themselves concerning human rights, career, marriage and other social and personal choices. The latter means to exert control over others or in this case reversing the hierarchy and again creating an imbalance of power.</p><p>The author encourages women to exercise freedom to seek knowledge, cultivate needful skills and to make sound decisions to support their life and dreams, freeing oneself from financial and social dependence on men to do the same for them.</p><p>The author subtly draws a line between empowering women and seeking revenge from the society, creating chaos and reversing gender roles in the name to achieve equality.</p><p>In an older context, it could mean earning the right to vote, the right to have property and the right to have a career or a spouse of their choice.</p><p>In today’s context, one could look at it as an encouragement to realise one’s true self and potential.</p><p><strong><ins>About the author: </ins></strong>Mary Wollstonecraft (born 1759) was an English author and a strong advocate of women’s rights.</p><p>Her work <em>A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) </em>which was a trailblazing work for women rights and questioned the socio-economical forces that deliberately made women weak and incapable of having control over their own lives.</p><p>Being her most powerful work, it laid the intellectual foundation for many women activists to come up in the future and also greatly influenced the feminist movement.</p><p>In her work, she strongly argued that women weren’t born inferior to men but the flawed educational system made them dependent on men for financial and social needs. </p>
<p><strong>“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves”</strong></p><p><br><ins>Explanation:</ins> In this powerful quote, the author, a leading figure in the earliest phases of <em>Feminist</em> movement implies that the true essence of feminism is not to exercise control over men but rather for women to have control over their own lives. </p><p>It carefully demarcates the fine line between autonomy and dominance. The former means to have the agency to make decisions for themselves concerning human rights, career, marriage and other social and personal choices. The latter means to exert control over others or in this case reversing the hierarchy and again creating an imbalance of power.</p><p>The author encourages women to exercise freedom to seek knowledge, cultivate needful skills and to make sound decisions to support their life and dreams, freeing oneself from financial and social dependence on men to do the same for them.</p><p>The author subtly draws a line between empowering women and seeking revenge from the society, creating chaos and reversing gender roles in the name to achieve equality.</p><p>In an older context, it could mean earning the right to vote, the right to have property and the right to have a career or a spouse of their choice.</p><p>In today’s context, one could look at it as an encouragement to realise one’s true self and potential.</p><p><strong><ins>About the author: </ins></strong>Mary Wollstonecraft (born 1759) was an English author and a strong advocate of women’s rights.</p><p>Her work <em>A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) </em>which was a trailblazing work for women rights and questioned the socio-economical forces that deliberately made women weak and incapable of having control over their own lives.</p><p>Being her most powerful work, it laid the intellectual foundation for many women activists to come up in the future and also greatly influenced the feminist movement.</p><p>In her work, she strongly argued that women weren’t born inferior to men but the flawed educational system made them dependent on men for financial and social needs. </p>
