Cover of The Subjection of Women

The Subjection of Women

by John Stuart Mill

First published
1869
Reading level
Fairly demanding
Price
Free

About the book

"The Subjection of Women" by John Stuart Mill is an essay published in 1869, developed jointly with his wife Harriet Taylor Mill. At a time when European society viewed women as naturally inferior and properly subordinate to men, Mill challenged the foundations of gender inequality. He argued that claims about women's natural limitations were baseless speculation, since women had never been allowed to prove their capabilities under conditions of equality. Mill contended that liberating half the human population would benefit not only individual women but all of society.

  • Women
  • Women's rights

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #27083. The Subjection of Women on Wikipedia.

More free books by John Stuart Mill

About John Stuart Mill