John Stuart Mill

It was not quite common during his time, for men to believe in equal rights for men and women. He "advocated sexual equlaity, the right to divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation" (513). During this time women were suppose to be home taking care of family needs, and not allowed to work outside of the home. They had no rights and were looked down upon. He was quite a reformist and thought quite differently than other men of his time. He was quite intelligent and also believed that children could learn at a young age, so he wanted to prove his point by "experimenting" on his own son, by teaching him Greek works at the age of three. He would fit in well if he lived during our time. In chapter one of "The Subjection of Women," he states that "the legal subordination of one sex to the other-is wrong in itself" (521). He believes it would be a great improvement and hints on the fact that women could do almost anything a man could. He made the point that slavery was wrong, and it was not allowed in England during that time. Women were practically slaves to their husbands, and seemed like they had less rights than slaves. It is quite rare to see a man during this time who expresses feministic views, and I admire him for his beliefs in equality.