Utilitarianism
In “The Subjection of Women,” Mill argues from the grounds of utilitarianism. Mill argues that the emancipation of women amounts to the moral and political enhancement of society, the improvement of women’s happiness, and the making of successful marriages. The most direct benefit that will arise from the emancipation of women is the added happiness of women themselves, resulting from the difference between a life of subjection and a life of rational freedom. As a utilitarian who doesn’t want to be seen as starting a social revolution for some abstract reason, Mill wants to prove that treating women equally would directly and materially benefit society’s overall well-being. The unjust treatment of women harms society’s moral education: since women are forced to gain influence in indirect ways, they cause their husbands, who have the right to vote, to focus only on their own families’ needs, not the greater good.
Human advancement
As philosopher Susan Okin points out, Mill’s utilitarianism is based on the assumption that the human is a progressive being, capable of moral and intellectual improvements. Such a progressive nature is a prerequisite for the eventual achievement of the greatest human happiness. Mill believes that the main goal of social and political institutions should be to maximize human potential and happiness. Mill’s arguments about women's freedom apply his core beliefs to a situation in which he saw these beliefs being largely ignored. His views on feminism offer a great chance to see how he used his fundamental ideas about humans in a social context. For Mill, making women equal to men isn’t just about the immediate happiness of women themselves, although that is crucial. It was also significant for the advancement of society as a whole and, ultimately, for the betterment of humankind.
Liberty
Mill believes that after basic needs like food and clothing, freedom is the strongest want of human nature. Freedom is so fundamental to human well-being that Mill concluded that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” He recalls the joys of emerging from the tutelage of childhood into the responsibilities of adulthood, feeling more alive than ever. Right now, freedom is reserved for only half of the human race. Mill advocates that such liberty be extended to women, freeing them from being the dependents of men. He compares their current state to being in a permanent childhood, or being not fully alive.
Justice
Just treatment, no less than liberty, is regarded both as essential for the happiness of women themselves and as a necessary condition for the advancement of humanity. The liberation of women, besides its practical and utilitarian benefits, has the first and foremost urge of cause—it’s the just thing to do. When society stops seeing social inequalities as beneficial, they will begin to see them as not just unsuitable, but also unjust. However, before that, people often forget that they might accept inequalities, mistakenly thinking that they are necessary. A prime example of the case of taking injustice as a convenience is the subjugation of women.
