Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Mill's The Subjection of Women articulated arguments for women's rights and equality that were ahead of their time. Some key points and how they relate to contemporary issues:
1) They critiqued the entrenched male privilege and patriarchal attitudes of their societies. This speaks to ongoing issues of gender inequality, discrimination, and the perpetuation of patriarchal norms.
2) They argued for women's legal, political, and economic rights - things like voting rights, property rights, and equal access to opportunities. Many of these rights have now been achieved, but issues remain around equal representation, pay, and economic empowerment of women.
3) They believed that women's education, autonomy, and liberty were crucial for personal and societal progress. Limited access to education and economic opportunity still negatively impact women in many parts of the world today.
4) They theorized that oppressive gender attitudes and lack of freedom stunt women's capacities and potential contributions. This connects to contemporary debates around how discrimination shapes abilities, talents, and potential.
5) They argued for an egalitarian partnership between men and women in private and public life. Issues of power imbalance, unfair divisions of labor, and lack of shared decision making in relationships remain today.
So while much progress has been made, Wollstonecraft's and Mill's core arguments and critiques resonate as powerfully as ever and highlight the ongoing work of achieved full equality, rights, opportunity, and partnership between genders that is still needed. Their works were foundational to contemporary feminism and shape debates today around gender, privilege, equality, and human flourishing.
In sum, the texts are deeply relevant today as they shed light on the roots of inequality and outline a vision of shared and equal rights, dignity, and partnership between men and women that we have yet to fully realize.