About the author
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was the preeminent liberal philosopher of the nineteenth century; Harriet Taylor Mill (1807–1858) was a writer and women's-rights advocate whose intellectual partnership shaped much of his work. The Subjection of Women (1869), published after Taylor's death but rooted in their decades-long collaboration, is among the earliest systematic arguments for legal and social equality between the sexes. It argues that the subordination of women rests on custom and force rather than reason, and that no one can know women's true capacities until the artificial constraints on them are removed.
Synopsis
A defense of women’s equality and a critique of marriage, custom, and social hierarchy.
Quote to notice
Direct quote · Public domain“The legal subordination of one sex to the other is wrong in itself.”
This states the liberal feminist claim directly: hierarchy based on sex violates equal freedom.
To avoid a bubble
Pair with conservative arguments about family, tradition, and social roles.
Reading note
A good bridge between liberalism, feminism, and equality.
Best paired with
Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex.