Property in One's Labor Against Exploitation

Sor Juana's extensive literary output was often appropriated—published without permission, attributed falsely, or used to advance institutional interests without compensation to her. She labored constantly yet retained minimal control over or benefit from her work. Libertarian justice begins with the right to property in one's labor: what you produce through effort belongs to you. Systematic appropriation of labor's value—whether through slavery, wage exploitation, or intellectual theft—violates the core libertarian principle. Sor Juana's situation exemplified how gendered and institutional power structures could strip individuals of ownership over their own creative and intellectual labor. This concept demands transparency about how value is extracted, distributed, and who controls the means of production. It applies to workers, artists, researchers, and caregivers whose contributions are systematized into low-value, high-control arrangements.