![Book Cover of The Subjection of Women](/image/book/the-subjection-of-women.webp)
The Subjection of Women
'The Subjection of Women ' Summary
While scholars generally agree that John Stuart Mill was the sole author, it is also noted that some of the arguments are similar to Harriet Taylor Mill's essay The Enfranchisement of Women, which was published in 1851.
Mill was convinced that the moral and intellectual advancement of humankind would result in greater happiness for everybody. He asserted that the higher pleasures of the intellect yielded far greater happiness than the lower pleasure of the senses. He conceived of human beings as morally and intellectually capable of being educated and civilised. Mill believed everyone should have the right to vote, with the only exceptions being barbarians and uneducated people.
Mill argues that people should be able to vote to defend their own rights and to learn to stand on their two feet, morally and intellectually. This argument is applied to both men and women. Mill often used his position as a member of Parliament to demand the vote for women, a controversial position for the time.
In Mill's time a woman was generally subject to the whims of her husband or father due to social norms which said women were both physically and mentally less able than men and therefore needed to be "taken care of". Contributing to this view were both hierarchical religious views of men and women within the family and social theories based on biological determinism. The archetype of the ideal woman as mother, wife and homemaker was a powerful idea in 19th century society.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1869Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Author
![John Stuart Mill image](/thumbs/image/author/john-stuart-mill.webp)
John Stuart Mill
England
John Stuart Mill usually cited as J. S. Mill, was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament, and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical...
More on John Stuart MillListen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
![The Uses of Diversity Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-uses-of-diversity.webp)
The Uses of Diversity by G. K. Chesterton
Prepare to embark on a mesmerizing intellectual journey that challenges conventional notions and celebrates the boundless wonders of diversity. With a...
![Culture and Anarchy Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/culture-and-anarchy.webp)
Culture and Anarchy by Matthew Arnold
According to his view advanced in the book, "Culture is a study of perfection". He further wrote that: "[Culture] seeks to do away with classes; to ma...
![The Book of Tea Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-book-of-tea.webp)
The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo
The Book of Tea is as much about philosophy, religion and art as it is about a drink made with dried leaves in boiling water. It traces the developmen...
![Prejudices, First Series Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/prejudices-first-series.webp)
Prejudices, First Series by H.L Mencken
The late war, very unpopular at the start, was “sold” to them, as the advertising phrase has it, by representing it as a campaign for the salvation of...
![An Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits upon the Human Body and Mind, with an Account of the Means of Preventing, and of the Remedies for Curing Them Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/inquiry-into-effects-ardent-spirits-upon-human-body-and-mind.webp)
An Inquiry into the Effects of Ardent Spirits upon the Human Body and Mind, with an Account of the Means of Preventing, and of the Remedies for Curing Them by Dr. Benjamin Rush
Alcohol abuse has been a problem for centuries, and Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of the first to sound the alarm about its dangers. In An Inquiry into t...
![Essays on Paul Bourget Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/essays-on-paul-bourget.webp)
Essays on Paul Bourget by Mark Twain
Paul Bourget was born in Amiens in the Somme département of Picardy, France. His father, a professor of mathematics, was later appointed to a post in...
![The Awful German Language Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-awful-german-language.webp)
The Awful German Language by Mark Twain
"The Awful German Language" is an 1880 essay by Mark Twain published as Appendix D in A Tramp Abroad. The essay is a humorous exploration of the frust...
![Christian Science Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/christian-science.webp)
Christian Science by Mark Twain
Christian Science is a 1907 book by the American writer Mark Twain (1835–1910). The book is a collection of essays Twain wrote about Christian Science...
![The Ukraine Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/the-ukraine.webp)
The Ukraine by George Raffalovich
It provides an insightful look into the history, culture, and people of Ukraine. The book was first published in 1913 and is still relevant today as a...
![Ancient Ideals in Modern Life: Four Lectures Cover image](/thumbs/image/book/ancient-ideals-in-modern-life-four-lectures.webp)
Ancient Ideals in Modern Life: Four Lectures by Annie Besant
The lectures in this book explore the relevance of ancient ideals and teachings in the modern world, and how they can provide guidance and inspiration...
Reviews for The Subjection of Women
No reviews posted or approved, yet...