Who is most noted for advocating for women's rights during the Enlightenment?

Mary Wollstonecraft is recognized as a pioneering advocate for women's rights during the Enlightenment, primarily due to her influential work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," published in 1792. In this groundbreaking text, she argues for the education of women and their essential role in society, challenging the prevailing notions of female inferiority that were common during her time. Wollstonecraft emphasized the importance of reason and rationality, asserting that women are capable of the same intellectual pursuits as men if given the same educational opportunities. This advocacy laid the foundation for modern feminist thought and inspired future generations to continue the fight for gender equality.

Other figures mentioned, while significant in their own rights, do not coincide with the Enlightenment period's focus. Marie Curie is renowned for her scientific achievements, particularly in radioactivity, but she was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Simone de Beauvoir, although a feminist philosopher, emerged in the 20th century. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was instrumental in the early women's rights movement in the United States, prominently in the mid-to-late 19th century, but her work came later than Wollstonecraft's foundational advocacy during the Enlightenment.