Why Political Theory is Women’s Work: How Moderata Fonte Reclaimed Liberty for Women inside and outside Marriage

Why is the status of being female frequently dangerous and all too often fatal? This old problem is still very much with us today, as determined activists have recently made clear. From the Ni Una Menos protests in Argentina to the outpouring of international support for the #MeToo movement, the risks of being female are now recognized to transcend national boundaries and undermine celebratory narratives of progress for women.¹ Even in societies where women have earned considerable success, misogyny and femicide move in lockstep with their advance.² Attention to these issues emerged long ago in the early modern debates on