The Hidden Chains of Tradition: How ‘The Subjection of Women’ Reveals Our Social Blindspots

Introduction: The Power of Custom

While laws can be changed by decree, customs live in the hearts and minds of people, often resisting reform. John Stuart Mill highlighted how customs rooted in feeling and tradition uphold the subordination of women, making inequality a social and emotional phenomenon as much as a legal one. This blog explores the invisible social machinery that maintains these customs and the challenges they pose to progress.

Tradition as Invisible Chains

Mill’s analysis shows that women’s subordination is not simply imposed by law but reinforced by the collective loyalty to tradition. People often defend customs with passion, even when they conflict with reason and justice, because these customs are tied to identity and social cohesion. This emotional attachment creates powerful resistance to change.

Marriage and Social Control

The institution of marriage exemplifies how tradition enforces control. Marriage laws and customs have historically placed women under the authority of their husbands, embedding subordination within family life. This creates a private sphere where social norms are deeply internalized and difficult to challenge.

Education and Upbringing

From childhood, girls are socialized to accept submissive roles. Education systems and family expectations teach girls meekness and dependence as virtues, while rewarding conformity and punishing independence. This early conditioning shapes identities and limits aspirations.

The Cost of Conformity

Women face social rewards for submission and penalties for rebellion, creating a powerful incentive structure. This dynamic perpetuates inequality across generations, as women internalize limited roles and self-conceptions.

Breaking the Cycle

Awareness of these invisible chains is the first step toward liberation. Education that encourages critical thinking and exposure to diverse role models can disrupt the cycle of subordination. Societal change requires not only legal reform but transformation of social attitudes and emotional allegiances.

Conclusion

John Stuart Mill’s insights remain deeply relevant today, reminding us that the fight for equality is as much about changing hearts and minds as it is about changing laws. Recognizing and challenging our social blindspots is essential for true progress.