Jean Marishall on the Plight of the ‘Old Maid’

Although some early modern women philosophers wrote critiques of marriage, few wrote about unmarried women’s difficult conditions. One exception was Scottish writer Jean Marishall (fl. 1760–89). Among her suggestions for a ‘very great amendment, in our minds and morals’ in her Series of Letters (1789), Marishall briefly analyses the problems facing singlewomen and proposes a creative remedy. This paper examines her analysis, situating it in the broader context of her ethical theory, in which the central ethical principle demands that we promote the virtue and happiness of ourselves and others – that is, promote happiness by helping people become virtuous.