In A Vindication Of The Rights Of... by Mary Wollstonecraft, this further illustrates the divide between male and female sexuality that still exists in modern society in which men are often praised for their sexual escapades while women are shunned repeatedly. Wollstonecraft says that "modesty must be cultivated equally by both sexes" so that both sexes achieve their highest capacity for modesty. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the gender gap in modesty was much wider than today, but unfortunately there is still a long way to go. Another occasion where the patriarchal society of Anna Karenina's time shows the subjugation of women is when Anna's husband does not allow her to divorce (Webster and Wright, 2012). Although in some ways her husband can be seen as trying to stop her from throwing her family away and becoming the "culprit", we also see throughout the film that he strives to have a has a tight hold on Anna and therefore will not allow himself to be ashamed of his betrayal (Webster and Wright, 2012). Her expectations included Anna staying in their marriage to protect an image, and although women like Stiva's wife accepted this type of compromise, Anna remained calm and chose to follow her heart instead of following orders of his coldness.

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