Sources of Trust

Disclaimer: I forgot my book at home, so I found the reading online. I hope I read the right version/text.

What I read from "A Serious Proposal to the Ladies" by Mary Astell really conveyed a lot about an (female) audience's responsibility. I really enjoyed that she stressed the importance of searching for one's own meaning instead of placing authority in the hands of someone who doesn't necessarily deserve it. More than that she stresses that we as women should "permit us only to understand our own duty, and not be forc'd to take it on trust from others." However, what if we do trust the source, male or female? Would it make me less of a woman to take on "duty" from someone other than myself? Is there a balance of taking knowledge on trust from others and to seek out our own? I'm sure there's a balance to the two, as life thrives on balance, but what can I use as a reliable source? I have a lot of issues with feminism, and this issue is definitely one of them. I am going to have to trust some men to be a feminist. More than that, I am going to have to trust people from every sector of life to be a well-educated feminist, and I'm not sure Mary Astell pushes this idea of equality.