A Misrepresentation of God’s Intent
Astell has no problem with the institution of marriage as a conceptual union between man and woman in the eyes of God. In fact, she believes that God’s vision of marriage is a perfect one reflecting His wisdom and judgment. The problem is that marriage as a real life institution has been channeled through human intellect which corrupted God’s ideal into the sorry state that she sets about attacking.
The Choice Gap
Choice in a traditional marriage is almost always completely within the domain of the husband. The husband chooses a wife and if by chance he should change his mind before the ceremony, the consequences are minor and he merely goes on to next. For a man, marriage is a multiple choice problem. Astell argues that for a woman, it is always an either/or choice of an answer. Either she accepts the proposal or she rejects it. Rejection carries the potential of never being asked again and facing life as a spinster. Acceptance means not just the potential but the guarantee of a burden, inequality and submission to an unjust system.
Denial of Education
Astell lays part of the blame for marriage being in such a sorry state and for the state of so many marriages being one of unhappiness on the lack of equitable opportunities for education of women. Her argument takes the form of suggesting that if young women as a rule grew up with more ambition than merely landing a husband, they would in turn be more particular and choosy. The extrapolation here is that unwise choices of “to accept” rather than “to reject” are made as a result of low self-image problems in which all male partners are seen as a “catch” whereas all potential brides are essentially in competition with one another with little opportunity afforded to distinguish their own worth as a “catch.”
Loyalty
Despite all her criticism leveled against men and her charges of systemic gender inequality as the foundational basis for the institution of marriage, ultimately Astell remains firm in her belief that a wife should remain loyal to her husband. This is in part a more personalized attribution of the contract between citizen and sovereign. A model monarchist to the end, Astell believed that all subjects were required to remain loyal to their king and this belief filtered down to the idea of a wife remaining loyal to her husband.
