Writer · 1759 – 1797

Mary Wollstonecraft

Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, one of the founding texts of feminism, arguing that women are rational beings deserving of education and equal rights, and lived a life that defied the conventions of her age.

Greatest Achievements

  • Wrote one of the founding works of feminist philosophy.
  • Argued for women's education and rational equality with men.
  • Supported herself as a professional writer, rare for a woman of her time.

Major Accomplishments

  • Wrote one of the founding works of feminist philosophy.
  • Argued for women's education and rational equality with men.
  • Supported herself as a professional writer, rare for a woman of her time.

Major Works

  • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
  • A Vindication of the Rights of Men

Impact Analysis

Wollstonecraft laid intellectual foundations for the women's rights movements that followed, and her argument that women are rational beings entitled to education and equality became central to modern feminism.

Historical influence score: 85/100