Nature Versus Nurture
Perhaps the largest theme in a Serious Proposal to the Ladies is the discrepancies between the potential girls from the 1600's were born with and the opportunities they were given to achieve that potential. It was believed that girls were inherently weaker and less competent than men and it was Astell's mission to prove that false assumption wrong in a way that was easy to understand. She shows that ignorant and dependent women are a byproduct of a system that was created by men to oppress them. Girls were told that their purpose in life was to be attractive enough to lure in a high-quality suitor who could provide for them. Once they had attained that goal they would teach the same thing to their daughters, thus continuing a vicious circle. Astell sought to empower women to recognize the potential of their minds if they put their energy into studies and causes of substance and if they were allowed a proper education.
Vanity Versus Piety
Astell was under the impression that the fatal flaw of women was an excess of vanity resulting from the way girls were taught to value their looks. She thought the solution was to create a religious retirement or convent that was free from competition and where girls were dressed simply and encouraged to learn. She believed knowledge and religion were the opposite of vanity, and that embracing piety you became a more substantive person.
