John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill did not follow the norm of his time. Men were thought to be over their wives and own them in a sense. Mill had very different views from this and his views were even considered radical at this time.

“Mill advocated sexual equality, the right to divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation.”

All this sounds familiar to what we know today, but back then, many of these ideas were unheard of and people did not dare speak of them.

On March 6^th, 1851, after his marriage to Harriet Taylor, he wrote “Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands.” During that time, when a woman married, she entered into a state called coverture meaning that she was added into the legal personhood of her husband. She could not sign legal contracts or own her property. She was her husband’s property. Mill did not agree with this law. He wanted his wife to have the same privileges that he have and be his equal. He wanted more of a partnership and commitment with her rather than he basically own the rights to her.

“Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands” is a document which he wrote renouncing his rights as a husband under British law. He did not believe in them and therefore did not want them to have to apply to him. In this document, he states,

“the whole character of the marriage relation as constituted by law being such as both she and I entirely and conscientiously disapprove.”

In other words, both he and Harriet disapproved of the law giving the husband power so it was his duty to fix that and make his wife happy. The reason he gives for disapproving the law is that it gives one of the parties in the contract “legal power and control” over the other. The writing is simply a protest to the existing law of marriage because he feels people should know his feelings about it. In the last part of the document, he says that Harriet should have exactly the same rights that she had before she was even married at all.

“I declare it to be my will and intention, and the condition of the engagement between us, that she retains in all respects whatever the same absolute freedom of action, and freedom of disposal of herself and of all that does or may at any time belong to her, as if not such marriage had taken place.”

He wants her to act as if they had never gotten married. He does not want her to have to owe anything to him or feel like she is now owned by him. In his eyes, he loves her just how she is and he wants her to remain that way. The marriage did not gain him anymore rights, it just showed his love for her. I admire Mill for sticking up for what he believed in and not just going along with the rest of society. Sometimes that can be hard in life, but I have learned it is best to do what makes you happy and not just do what everyone thinks is the right thing to do.