Sontag's second posthumously published essay collection after At the Same Time (2007), it was edited by her son David Rieff and features an introduction by Turkish-American writer Merve Emre.

[2] Publishers Weekly wrote, "Though the selections date from the 1970s, the insights remain topical and serve as a window into a brilliant mind whose analysis continues to provoke.

"[5] In The Atlantic, author Katie Roiphe wrote, "Now that we are in the heyday of easy answers and offended pieties, Sontag’s stylish, idiosyncratic approach to the feminist debates and preoccupations of her era can be distilled pretty well into tangible guidance for ours.

[7] Anna Leszkiewicz of the New Statesman gave On Women a mixed review, writing, "at times, Sontag’s determined rejection of complacency leads her to unfeeling, unsisterly arguments.

"[8] In a highly critical review for The Observer, Rachel Cooke wrote, "Slowly, it begins to dawn on you that Sontag believes women have only themselves to blame for the inequality and discrimination they experience; that they have chosen to go along with it, unable to resist the powerful allure of lipstick and Tupperware.