Gender as Barrier to Property Recognition

Sor Juana's era legally restricted women's property ownership, education, and public participation under coverture and religious authority. Her existence as an educated woman who owned a personal library was itself transgressive—she embodied a claim to property rights denied by law and custom. Libertarian justice requires recognizing that gender-based property restrictions are injustices that undermine freedom for half the population. Sor Juana's implicit critique is that true justice cannot exclude any person from the right to own, control, and benefit from their labor and intellect. Her works on women's capacity for reason directly challenge the economic logic that justified denying women property rights: if women can think, they can own; if they can own, they cannot be rightfully excluded from contracts, inheritance, or the fruits of their work. Addressing gender-based property barriers is therefore central to establishing genuine libertarian justice.