Is it true that the feminist (womans rights) movement was started by men?
Yes. The 18th century saw male philosophers attracted to issues of human rights, and men such as the Marquis de Condorcet championed women’s education.[citation needed] Liberals, such as the utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, demanded equal rights for women in every sense, as people increasingly came to believe that women were treated unfairly under the law.[1] In the 19th century, there was also an awareness of women’s struggle. In 1866, John Stuart Mill (author of “The Subjection of Women”) presented a women’s petition to the British parliament and supported an amendment to the 1867 Reform Bill. Although his efforts were concentrated on the problems of married women, this is a realistic acknowledgment that marriage for Victorian women was predicated upon a sacrifice of liberty, rights, and property. His involvement in the women’s movement stemmed from his long standing friendship with Harriet Taylor, who he eventually married.
