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The women question referencing John Stuart Mill and Mary Wollstonecraft

Introduction

The term 'Woman Question' was coined in the nineteenth century connoting the notion of the role and rights of women in the society. It gave a holistic picture to the idea of feminism. Feminism comprises of a pool of actions that are aimed delineating, building, and protecting equal social, political, and economic rights for women. In addition to this, the dominant motive behind feminism is to establish equal employment opportunities and prospect of education for women. A feminist, in essence, is a strong advocate of feminism. The nineteenth century marked the sprout of organized women movements, which eventually by the 1920s reinforced the bonds between women, stretched the opportunities for them, and enforced the question of their rights.

Discussion

More explicitly, the 'Woman Question' involved the urging for liberating women from the public and local insurgencies that were characterized by the albatross of the patriarchal systems. This was further accompanied by their tussles of asserting their communal and political rights that were predominantly detained by men. The form of particular feminist issue relied on the social class of those who were caught up by the issue. For instance, middle-class women were more concerned about their property rights in marriage, however on the contrary, the working-class women wrestled with the ruthless consequences of destitution such as the high infant mortality ratio amongst the mothers working in mills. But, where one was plunked on the feminist issue depended largely on part on one's view about the nature of woman and not solely on social class.

When couched in its negative form, the 'Woman Question' deems to answer the following questions: what was it that allegedly deprived the women from legal entitlements that men possessed merely by the virtue of their sex? Were they hereditarily and mentally inferior to men? Were they innately weak both physically and morally or naturally unproductive and thoughtless? Were they untrustworthy outside their homes? Were they just meant to bore children and amuse their spouses as long as they sustained their physical attractions? Women who defied the patriarchal tyranny were well accustomed with the caricature their sex was regarded with. Moreover, they knew the disgrace that was associated with an imposed dependence on the 'male concept'. Not surprisingly, this was much more than the Victorian predicament.

The last couple of decades of the nineteenth century canvassed the issue of eligibility for rights in essays, fiction, and poetry, beyond what had at all times been typically deemed as the 'woman's sphere'. Despite this, it was one of the striking achievements of the nineteenth century both to kick off and ultimately to endure the foundation of sexual reform, universally known as the 'feminist movement' (Millet, pp.121). However, one of the particular concerns of the movement since its inception was that of education - how to facilitate women to acquire one. George Meredith (1828 - 1909), a pro feminist held that the feminists should be well-informed before they protested. Deprivation of education ...