1666 – 1731
Mary Astell (1666–1731) was an English philosopher and early feminist thinker whose work applied Cartesian rationalism to argue for women's intellectual equality and education. Her landmark 'A Serious Proposal to the Ladies' (1694) called for the founding of women's academic institutions, and 'Some Reflections Upon Marriage' (1700) offered a rigorous critique of women's subordination in domestic life. She is widely regarded as the first systematic feminist philosopher in the English tradition.
Proposed a women's collegiate institution in 'A Serious Proposal to the Ladies' (1694), anticipating later feminist educational reform
Applied Cartesian rationalism to argue that women's minds are equally capable of reason and philosophical inquiry
Critiqued the institution of marriage as a site of women's political and intellectual subjugation
Engaged in published philosophical debates with John Locke, challenging his social contract theory on grounds of consistency
Established a framework for analyzing structural obstacles to women's intellectual development