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→Origins of First Wave Feminism
==Origins of First Wave Feminism==
Mary Wollstonecraft, living in the 18th century, was heavily influenced by Rousseau and French political thinkers who began to advocate that societies, and individuals specifically, should have rights that the state provides. Individual liberty, as argued, was to be upheld by the state. Similarly, English philosophers, such as John Locke living earlier, had taken up similar ideas. However, philosophers and writers often ignored women and Wollstonecraft was among the first to call for gender equality. She believed reason and education should be the foundation of social order. She saw the lack of focus in educating women as making them appear less informed as men in society. Although we see her views as largely expected and normal today, for over a century her writings and influence were minimized due to the morals of the day. She had at least two highly publicized affairs that produced at least one child out of wedlock. The focus on her behavior, rather than ideas, unfortunately diminished her influence in the early 19th century as feminists ideas increasingly emerged.
==First Wave Around the World==
