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Women Theorists on Society and and Political Life

The development of modern feminist societal and political theory began in earnest during the seventeenth century, although feminist ideas about society can be traced to the medieval era. A thorough introduction to women theorists [PDF 50kb] by Dr Lynn McDonald, author of Women Theorists on Society and Politics (1998), can be viewed, downloaded, and printed for more information.

The works available on this page are representative ideas about the role of women in Europe and North America in the modern period. A complete listing follows this short outline.

By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, critiques by women of societal structures of domination and unequal social status and roles were appearing more frequently. Mary Astell's (1668-1731) Reflections on Marriage (1700) [PDF 313kb] - offered new views on one of society's most important conventions.

In Continental Europe, a French speaking Swiss-born woman interested in political science, Anna Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein (1766 – 1817), wrote widely about contemporary European society. Her Influence of the Passions upon the  Happiness of Individuals and of Nations in 1796 [PDF 1220kb] - and Unpublished Correspondence with Thomas Jefferson between 1807-1812 [PDF 130kb] - examined issues from a highborn societal perspective.

With the gradual expansion of democratic rights after the American and French revolutions and development of Socialist and Marxist conceptions of society in the nineteenth century, new ideas about social and political conventions rapidly emerged. Women such as Helen Taylor (1831-1907) and Beatrice Webb (1858-1943) commented on many unjust aspects of society.

Webb, in particular, was an important writer, who issued many articles and pamphlets that contributed to the debate about societal problems. The Awakening of Women (1913) [PDF 52kb] - is an excellent example of her thoughts and prescriptions for action.

In the twentieth century, feminist ideas changed many political and legal traditions. Theoretical ideas moved to the practical realities of eliminating restrictions and attaining and ensuring rights for women.

In the United States, Jane Addams (1860-1935), an American social worker and reformer, became a leader for American woman's suffrage and for the pacifist movement. Her writings were directed to immediate concerns and the struggle for women's rights. Her Woman’s Part in Managing the Modern City (1912) [ PDF 81kb] - is a valuable contribution to feminist thought in the early part of the twentieth century.

Over the past three hundred years, the development of feminist thought has changed virtually every traditional perspective on human activity, our cultural life, and social conventions. The selected writings of some prominent women in Europe and America who made significant contributions can be viewed below.

Women Theorists' Documents

There are downloadable versions of theorists' views on many subjects. Adobe Reader is required to view these documents and can be obtained at Adobe's website. For convenience, theorists appear in reverse chronological order.

Jane Addams (1860-1935) and Emily Greene Balch (1867-1961)	What Concern has America with World Peace? The Hopes We Inherit (1927) PDF [90.8kb]
Jane Addams (1860-1935)	Need a Woman Over Fifty Feel Old? (1914) PDF [32.1kb]
	Patriots and Pacifists in Wartime (1917) PDF [94.5kb]
	Woman’s Part in Managing the Modern City (1912) PDF [81kb]
Beatrice Webb (1858-1943)	The Abolition of the Poor Law (1918) PDF [100kb]
	The Awakening of Women (1913) PDF [52kb]
	The Growth of a Socialist [interview] (1895) PDF [75kb]
	How Best to do Away with the Sweating System (1892) PDF [102kb]
	Methods of Investigation (1906) PDF [64kb]
	A New Reform Bill (1931) PDF [163kb]
	What I Believe (1931) PDF [82kb]
Helen Taylor (1831-1907)	Few Words on Mr. Trollope’s Defence of Fox Hunting (1870) PDF [47kb]
	The Ladies Petition [to the House of Commons] (1866) PDF [117kb]
	The Land for the People (1886) PDF [ 7kb]
	The New Attack on Toleration (1871) PDF [109kb]
	Sir Thomas More on the Politics of To-day (1870) PDF [137kb]
	Vote for Miss Helen Taylor [by Jessie Craigen] (1885) PDF [42kb]
	Women and Criticism (1866) PDF [81kb]
Josephine Butler (1828-1906)	Address [delivered at Croydon, 3 July 1871] PDF [112kb]
Frances Power Cobbe (1822-1904)	The Significance of Vivisection (1891) PDF [28kb]
	Wife Torture in England (1878) PDF [213kb]
	Workhouse as an Hospital (1861) PDF [69kb]
Harriet Taylor Mill (1807-1858)	The Enfranchisement of Women (1851) PDF [199kb]
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)	How to Observe Morals and Manners (1838) PDF [1207kb]
Germaine de Staël Holstein (1766-1817)	Influence of the Passions upon the  Happiness of Individuals and of Nations (1796) PDF [1220kb]
	Unpublished Correspondence with Thomas Jefferson (1807-1812) PDF [130kb]
Catharine Sawbridge Macaulay (1731-1791)	An Address to the People of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1775) PDF [93kb]
	Loose Remarks on Hobbes’s Philosophical Rudiments (1769) PDF [171kb]
	Observations on the Cause of the Present Discontents (1770) PDF [91kb]
Marie-Jeanne Roland de la Platière (1754-1793)	On Liberty (1778) PDF [60kb]
	On the Soul (1771) PDF [32kb]
	A Political Reverie (1776) PDF [27kb]
Mary Astell (1668-1721)	Reflections on Marriage (1700) PDF [313kb]