On The Subjection Of Women by John Stuart Mill

Struggle For Equality

Throughout history women have been subjected to cruel and unfair treatment

in an unequal society designed to oppress the physically inferior woman. Men's

superior strength has too often debacled a woman's ability to strive for success

and reach one's full potential. A man's strength is an insufficient reason to

suppress the powerful voice, and intellect of women. Throughout their struggle

for equality, being oppressed, women have shown that they have the drive to

persevere and come out on top in an unjust society.

John Stuart Mill's work "On The Subjection of Women" tells the story or how

bad it was for woman in his time (1869), women were slaves of men;

they had no property rights; so far as the law was concerned (except under rare

circumstances) everything a woman owned really belonged to her husband; if she

inherited anything, for example, that inheritance immediately became the property

of the husband. In some ways women were even in a worse position than slaves;

slaves had somewhere to go after their work was done which they could call their

own. Mill's response to all this is to urge a new principle of equality of the sexes;

that also means freedom for women, at least to the same extent as men have

freedom in society, since the principle includes equality of power. In 1869

women had little opportunity for success, but this was all in 1869. In today's

society women have the...