Abstract: The opposition Comte-Mill on the place of women is well known, between Comte, seen as patriarchal, and Mill presented as egalitarian. Yet, the authors agree on a global rejection of married women’s work. We return here to the terms of this debate, showing that theirs positions reflect a controversy concerning the innate or acquired character of the characteristics commonly attributed to men and women. The rejection of married women’s work reveals a certain criticism of political economy.
