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Mill, John Stuart. "On the Subjection of Women". In Mill, John Stuart and Harriet Taylor Mill, Essays on Sex Equality (ed. Alice Rossi). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Mill's general thesis in this essay is that existing relations between the sexes were unequal and incompatible with a liberal humanist theory of equality. He sees a contradiction between the liberal humanist ideal of equality for all and the contemporary situation of women. A central tenet of post-Enlightenment thought is the rejection of rule through aristocratic tyranny; that is to say rule through birthright or other "divine rights of kings". Mill argues that although the public sphere of politics has cast off this tyranny through formation of particular forms of government, there still exists a form of divine rule with regard to men's rule over women. Since the "law of the strongest" is no longer operative in this liberal society as a condition of civilization, this should not govern relations between the sexes. Mill uses the concept of a meritocracy to advance his point, stating that all human beings should have equality of opportunity to achieve their goals. Contrary to much of public opinion in his time, Mill rejects the notion that women's subordination is "natural", as well as the notion that such a natural order should be enforced by law. Anticipating 20th century debates about how gender is constructed, Mill argues that gender is largely a social construction, and critiques not only the idea of what is "natural" for women but also the epistemology of "knowledge" about gender (in other words, how do we come to know what is natural for women?). He sees women's subordination in the liberal humanist system as an anomaly and challenge to universal equality (though of course he does not see how the state itself, as well as the liberal humanist model might in fact be oppressive to women).
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