Mary Astell's From A Serious Proposal to the Ladies Discussion Question: Why did Mary Astell suggest such extreme solutions as a learning environment for woman, and is it necessary? In Mary Astell's From A Serious Proposal to the Ladies is a plea for intellectual equality among the sexes. The author was tired of the oppressive nature of man, which kept her and her sisters from developing their minds. She felt that females back then should have the same rights as women have achieved through the Civil Rights Movement today. Her answer to this was "A Religious Retirement." It is Mary Astell