Why Dora Russell Opposed Marriage

A feminist argument against state-backed marriage

Dora Russell in her later years. Photograph courtesy of Macalester College via the Boston Review

In 1929, a famous philosopher named Bertrand Russell wrote a famous book called Marriage and Morals, in which he argued against the institution of marriage. However, Bertrand Russell’s story is not the one I want to tell here. I am interested in the story of his wife, Dora Russell (1894–1986).