book1869

The Subjection of Women

Disciplines:

Summary

Mill's The Subjection of Women (1869) is the earliest systematic philosophical argument for women's legal and social equality with men.

Core Contribution

Mill argues that the legal subordination of women to men is morally unjustifiable, harmful to society, and inconsistent with liberal principles; the only evidence that women are naturally inferior to men is their systematic exclusion from conditions in which natural capacities could develop.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Inversion of burden of proof (there is no affirmative evidence women are inferior; absence of achievement reflects absence of opportunity)
Marriage as slavery critique (Victorian marriage gives husbands absolute legal power over wives — worse than ancient slavery in some respects)
Social utility of women's freedom (society loses half its available talent by restricting women's occupational choices)
Harriet Taylor co-authorship (Mill dedicated the book to Taylor Mill and credited her with substantial contribution to its arguments)

Historical Influences

John Stuart Mill

Intellectual Lineage

Classical liberalism Utilitarian social reform Feminist political theory

Allied Works

On Liberty Utilitarianism A System of Logic

Contemporaries & Peers

On Liberty Utilitarianism A System of Logic

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

Liberal feminism Women's suffrage movement philosophy

Discussing

The Subjection of Women

Ask anything about The Subjection of Women — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.

book1869

The Subjection of Women

Disciplines:

political philosophy

Summary

Mill's The Subjection of Women (1869) is the earliest systematic philosophical argument for women's legal and social equality with men.

Core Contribution

Key Spikes & Highlights

Inversion of burden of proof (there is no affirmative evidence women are inferior; absence of achievement reflects absence of opportunity)
Marriage as slavery critique (Victorian marriage gives husbands absolute legal power over wives — worse than ancient slavery in some respects)
Social utility of women's freedom (society loses half its available talent by restricting women's occupational choices)
Harriet Taylor co-authorship (Mill dedicated the book to Taylor Mill and credited her with substantial contribution to its arguments)

Historical Influences

John Stuart Mill

Intellectual Lineage

Classical liberalism Utilitarian social reform Feminist political theory

Allied Works

On Liberty Utilitarianism A System of Logic

Contemporaries & Peers

On Liberty Utilitarianism A System of Logic

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

Liberal feminism Women's suffrage movement philosophy

Discussing

The Subjection of Women

Ask anything about The Subjection of Women — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.