Autonomy in Vocation and Labor

Sor Juana's entry into convent life was itself a strategic assertion of vocational autonomy—she chose intellectual work over marriage and domestic servitude, even if that choice was constrained by limited options for women. Her writings celebrate the freedom to direct one's labor toward one's genuine calling rather than duty imposed by others. In Libertarian justice, autonomy in vocation means the right to refuse unwanted labor, to pursue work aligned with one's values and abilities, and to retain the fruits of one's effort. Sor Juana resisted attempts to redirect her intellectual labor toward institutional purposes, insisting on her right to her own research agenda. This concept opposes forced labor, coercive family roles, and institutional conscription of individual talent. It protects workers from being treated as property or means to others' ends, centering on the principle that one's labor and vocation are inseparable from self-ownership and freedom.