Wollstonecraft, Mary (1759–1797)

Mary Wollstonecraft has been widely regarded at least since the 1970s as the first feminist thinker of consequence on women's sociopolitical condition. The label “feminist” is perhaps a misnomer considering the historical context of her life and the relative youth of the term. However, if the litmus test for feminist thought is opposition to gender hierarchy, acceptance that gender is socially constructed, and belief that women as a social group need collective action to bring about equality, Mary Wollstonecraft is a proto‐feminist thinker. Her writings appear on the shelves of literature, political philosophy, and women's studies. Wollstonecraft's life is also the subject in its own right of psychology, anthropology, and literature. However, the consideration of her contribution to classical sociological thought is more recent. Wollstonecraft's theoretical absence is not a reflection on her sociological contributions; rather, it symbolizes the patriarchal nature of society when sociology as a discipline emerged, and the everyday reality of most societies throughout history, including our own

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• A vindication of political virtue

  Virginia Sapiro•A vindication of political virtue•1992

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