Spinoza on Women's Subordination to Men

[Michael Hoover]

"But, perhaps, someone will ask, whether women are under men's authority
by nature or institution?  If it has been by mere institution, then
we had no reason compelling us to exclude women from government.  But
if we consult *experience* itself, we shall find that the origin of it
is in their weakness.  For there has never been a case of men and women
reigning together, but wherever on the earth men are found, there we
see that men rule, and women are ruled, and that on this plan, both
sexes live, in harmony.  But on the other hand, the Amazons, who are
reported to have held rule of old, did not suffer men to stop in their
country, but reared only their female children, by killing males to
whom they gave birth.  But if by nature women were equal to men, and
were equally distinguished by force of character and ability, in which
human power and therefore human right chiefly consist; surely among
nations so many and different some would be found, where both sexes
rule alike, and others where, where men are ruled by women, and so
brought up, that they can make less use of their abilities.  And
since this is nowhere the case, one may assert with perfect propriety, 
that women have not by nature equal right with men; but that they 
necessarily give way to men, and that thus is cannot happen that both 
sexes should rule alike, much less that men should be ruled by women.  
But if we further reflect upon human passions, how men, in fact, 
generally love women merely from passion of lust, and esteem their 
cleverness and wisdom in proportion to the excellence of their beauty, 
and also show how very ill-disposed men are to suffer the women they 
love to show any sort of favor to other, and other facts of this kind, 
we shall easily see that men and women cannot rule alike without great 
hurt to peace."
_A Theologico-Political Treatise and Political Treatise_, translated
by R. H. Melwes, Dover Publications, 1955, pp. 386-387. 

Michael Hoover