The Role of Women in Family and Society

Some people argue that a woman’s natural role is to be a wife and mother, but if this were true, Mill suggests, women wouldn't need to be forced into these roles. He contends that married women are essentially slaves to their husbands, who often hold complete control over them. In most places, women cannot own land or be the guardians of their own children, even if their husband dies. Divorce, for a long time, was either not possible or too expensive for most women, trapping them in these oppressive marriages.