John Stuart Mill The Subjection Of Women

This ideology outlines and endorses separate spheres for women and men, the domestic and public spheres. This idea derived from the natural features of each gender. As women were considered to be physically weaker than men, they were more suitable to belong to the private sphere. As Ellis writes, ‘women’s strength is in her influence’ , demonstrating the view that, though physically fragile, women were morally superior to men.

During the Age of Enlightenment in the late eighteenth century, Mary Wollstonecraft presented a radical essay, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, that shed light on the largest, underrepresented groups of the time, women. The essay voiced the inequalities women at the time faced and called upon Wollstonecraft’s audience to invoke a revolution for the rights of women. Through her writing, she presented a compelling argument that slowly allowed women to question their “place” in society and demand change to the British social order. While these changes did not happen quickly, her work sparked the feminist movements through its unique message and called upon women to demand equality through the Match Girls Strike and Women’s Suffrage

Mary Wollstonecraft’s famous book, Vindication of the Rights of Women, is “one of the earliest expressions of a feminist consciousness.” Wollstonecraft claims that women are upset mainly due to the fact that they are not receiving the education they deserve, and goes on to explain how women are notorious for being weak, and mentally unstable. She blames the education system for this since all the books are written by men, and they claim that women are barley humans and are treated as another species. She questions the eligibility of men to claim they are better than women. A useful education, in her opinion, is one that teaches students how to be strong and independent. Her directed audience is anyone who is unsure of the true definition and meaning of feminism. Wollstonecraft believes that all humans are capable of the same intelligence, no matter the gender. Her overall idea is that every individual, both male and female, deserve equality.

Many people believe that marriage is important in this day and age, but it holds little significance compared to the importance of marriage in the Victorian era. In the Victorian era women were to get married to a man of the same or a better social status, be good wives, and be a mother to her husband's children. Very few marriages started with love, but a woman's life is not complete without being married. Over time, the role of married women has evolved a great deal and they now have rights and privileges. John Stuart Mill was one of the great thinkers of the Victorian era, and his essay The Subjection of Women tells how few privileges women had and that they were slaves to their husbands. He also says that women are their own people and

The Subjection of Women looks at the society and its struggles in adjusting to an environment where women are treated equally. John Stuart Mill’s approach to changing society comes from the viewpoint that after many years of submission and discrimination, women should be treated equally. This conclusion comes from a reflection on past classes of people that were similarly oppressed. Mill looks at similar situations throughout history where one certain group was dominant over another submissive group such as free vs. slave, white vs. black, etc. Mill states “but if the principle is true, we ought to act as if we believed it, and not to ordain that to be born a girl instead of a boy, any more than to be born black instead of white, or a

In the words of Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen, 5). This quote highlights how women were dependent on men to have a place and to be respected in society at the time of the victorian era. Women were viewed as domestic tools rather than human beings; they were treated as a domestic production that men control and own. Before a woman is married she is owned by her father, and after she is owned by her husband. In different parts of the world, the undergrading of women or no feminism still exists. Women can not voice their opinions let alone own an object in the

John Stuart Mill and Sarah Conly have opposing views on the necessity and justifiability of paternal coercion in a state. This essay will present their views regarding the justifiability of state intervention in the case of sugar tax. I will show what arguments both would use to justify their own opinion and at the end present my own arguments in order to argue that sugar tax would not be the ideal solution but coercive paternalism would still be necessary, although used in a slightly different way.

Mill makes a very strong argument that the position women have in society is not the only possible way to structure societal hierarchy. The reason it seems unnatural to change its structure, he claims, is because it is uncustomary.

In the early nineteenth century, women were expected to be, “‘angels in the house,’ loving, self-sacrificing, and chaste wives, mothers and daughters or they are… ultimately doomed” (King et al. 23). Women of this time were supposed to be domestic creatures and not tap so far into their intellectual abilities (King et al.). The role of women in the nineteenth century is described:

The Subjection Of Women Mill explains how women are equal to men in character and ability, but are not viewed this way in society. Though this article was

Social standing, and moral values were vital elements in Victorian society, and the fundamental doctrine of establishing this ideology, began at home. The home provided a refuge from the rigour, uncertainty, anxiety, and potential violence of the outside world. (P, 341) A woman’s role was to provide a safe, stable, and well-organised environment for their husbands and families. However, change was on the horizon with an underlying movement of business and domestic changes both home and abroad, with industrialization, and the suffragist movement. Women were beginning to gain autonomy and began to grasp their opportunities, thus significantly curtailing male supremacy and the definable acceptable ‘role’ of the woman.

The past history of subjection towards women by accounts of nature is one of the reasons that women are still oppressed today. John Stuart Mill in his writing

In the beginning of the work, Mill explicitly argues against the belief that women are not equal to men. He criticizes the legal subordination of the women to men and says that it is one of the greatest hindrances to human improvement. (Mill, 196) Based on this criticism, Mill seeks to delegitimize the gender hierarchy in place during his time. He argues that the subjugation of women rests solely on theory, as no other gender hierarchies have ever been tried. He then says that the subjugation of women did not occur as a result of purposeful deliberation about what would benefit society at large. (Mill, 197) Mill says that the subjugation of women occurred solely because women were in a state of bondage to men from the conception of humankind. (Mill, 197) Finally, Mill explains that laws and political systems recognize people’s relationships with one another and then convert what is a physical fact into a legal right. (Mill, 197) Mill’s arguments show his ability to thoroughly analyze the origins of women’s subjugation and his desire to change them. Mill recognizes the weakness of the arguments in favor of women’s subjugation. He also recognizes that the subjugation of an entire sex equates to an inefficient society. Being attuned to the social realities of women at the time allowed Mill to encourage more egalitarian relations between men and

During the 18th century, the lives and treatment towards women differed greatly from women compared to today. The liberties and accommodations for women that we are accustomed to in our modern age did not exist back then; and when it came to what women were allowed to do in the 18th century, men typically governed and made all of the decisions. Writer and activist Mary Wollstonecraft defended the rights of women; and instead of merely falling into “her place” in society as a woman, she utilized her writing by acting as a voice and fighting for change in the social aftermath that society had dealt women. In her piece, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft articulated her feminist manifesto that men are the force imposing oppression on women in three key aspects of life: in education, in jobs, and in sexual freedom.

In this first unit, one of the readings that really caught my attention was John Stuart Mill’s The Subjection of Women. In his essay, Mill’s presents a very compelling argument that the subordination of one sex to another is wrong and that there should be instead, perfect equality amongst the sexes. Having previously studied about gender inequality issues from another class, I have a broad understanding of how and why gender inequality has been perpetuated through various historical, political, and social contexts. Incorporating this knowledge as well as information learned through the readings and lectures, I hope to share my thoughts on the subjection of women and its relationship to slavery in this personal response paper.