This paper seeks to show how attempts to exclude women from the ontological hierarchy of beings have greatly influenced the formation and practice of women’s rights. The misogynistic views of famous philosophers are exposed, which have largely determined the paradigm through which man is observed. Aristotle is primarily pointed out here, because he excluded minors, women, slaves and foreigners from his understanding of man. Since a woman was not considered a (hu)man she was viewed as the Other. It is shown how these prejudices are further grounded in the theory of the social contract which served as the basis for starting the human rights debate. In this context, women were initially excluded from the first legal provisions on human rights, and thus from the Declaration of Human Rights. Although, there are rights in human rights provisions today that are guaranteed specifically to women, women's everyday experiences show that these rights are not applied in practice. The paper also highlights the views of John Stuart Mill who, despite the historical context, tried to portray women as humans by showing the logical inadequacy of the argument about the nature of man. Mill as well as Richard Rorty advocate the implementation of a specific educational process based on the awakening of empathy, as they are aware that all forms of discrimination stem from ignorance and not from human nature.