Justice and care
One of the most momentous and controversial contributions to political thought made by feminism in recent decades involves the work of Carol Gilligan, who developed the claim that there exists an approach to morality and social relations that contrasts sharply with that which is based on justice and individual rights of the sort characteristic of mainstream (liberal) theory. The ‘care’ perspective – a moral orientation that focuses on the value of maintaining relations, acting on interpersonal responsibilities, expressing appropriate emotion and affect, and so on – has been put forward as a moral orientation uniquely connected with the experience and psychology of women, but which has been relegated to secondary status in traditional theories of moral development. Gilligan’s work famously suggested that women tend to think more in terms of care and responsibility when considering a moral problem than in terms of impersonal rights and justice, and that moral and political principles which were expressed in the latter terms have essentially silenced women’s voices (Gilligan 1982, Gilligan et al. 1988, Brown and Gilligan 1992).
Gilligan questioned the dominant view of psychological development which placed the ability to think in terms of universal, impersonal, principles at the apex of moral thinking, claiming that this reflected the male tendency to value separation, objectivity, and autonomy over connectedness and relationships. Normative principles expressed in terms of justice assume such abilities to detach from personal connections and act on autonomy-based, universal moral principles. Many women, however, tend to approach normative issues in a way which is highly sensitive to obligations toward concrete other...
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... crucial in fostering such caring relations (in particular concerning children) might induce one to support government policies that make family life easier. But which families? Heterosexual families? The so-called ‘nuclear’ family where the two parents are married and raise their biological offspring?
There is a multitude of types of caring relations and any reference to a particular type in the justification of state policy always runs the risk of valorizing merely one particular conception to the detriment of others (cf. Kymlicka 1991). The argument for the priority of right, whatever version of it we want to hold on to in the end, is based on respect for pluralism of conceptions of the good, so feminist claims for the recognition and promotion of moral values associated with women should be accepted, but only in a form which remains consistent with this respect.
The first half of her book is concerned with the role of women in society. She compares a healthy family structure to a democratic society. In both cases, men and women have distinct roles they must fulfill in order to create a balanced, healthy environment. Since political participation for women was limited at the time of Cooper’s writing, she argued that not only were women suffering, but so was all of society. She argued that women’s sensitivity to emotion and intuition and their nurturing nature would balance out society that was controlled by aggressive and reason-oriented men. She argues that men and women are equals but their responsibilities to society are distinctive.
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
Throughout history, the role of women in society has caused arguments which resulted in the discretization of women’s intelligence, imagination, reason, and judgment (Murray 740). Women were forced to feel inferior because of men’s “natural rights,” resulting in the mental superiority of men. With the confinements of society ever on a woman’s threshold, came the inability to express thoughts and emotions without suffering ridicule from their male counterparts. Some critics suggest that the “inalienable rights… [such as] life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” were not simply taken away from women without consent, but they were rights never achievable for women at all (Deceleration of Independence). One critic, Judith Sargent Murray, a feminist of her day, advocates the rights of women on the grounds of social, political, and economic equality to men in her essay “On the Equality of Sexes.”
Women have been an important role in society whether or not it is not remarked to the public eye. Oppression against women is never-ending along with violent acts constantly being pursued on them for over a century which is not only crucial but it is lessening their value worldwide. The suggestion of women’s emotions being a barrier for them to be equal to men is falsified, there is not one predicament that prevent a woman from being equal than a
Margaret Urban Walker’s Moral Understandings is most certainly a feminist study in ethics. The main purpose of her writings is to “account for the gender inequality in the socially constructed relationship between power—the political—on the one hand and the knowledge of truth and reality—the epistemological—on the other" (Walker 1998, 20). However, her approach is quite different than some of the feminist theorists that have come before her. Instead of taking what I call a “care-focused” approach where the primary task is to rehabilitate culturally associated “feminine” values, Walker takes “power-focus” approach in which she expresses an acute sensitivity to the fact that moral life and social life are intertwined. This power-focused perspective insists that our moral responsibilities flow from our social position, which as Walker notes, depends on our "gender, age, economic status, race, and other factors that distribute powers and forms of recognition differentially and hierarchically" (1998, 22). She explores the ways in which our power, or lack thereof, shapes our moral understandings and determines whose ethical vision is privileged as authoritative. To date, the economically and socially powerful have been largely responsible for setting the moral agenda for everyone. Walker regards this state of affairs as inequitable; as moral understanding is not the exclusive property of the privileged few, but the home turf of everyone.
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
Not so long ago in United States family was defined as; a couple, a man and a woman with children. Times have changed. Today, people are moving away from this definition and now going for a modern description of what family refers to. From divorced parents, single par-ents, no children families, and gay parents they are all now included to this new definition. Ac-cording to the national census bureau “A family consists of two or more people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption residing in the same housing unit” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Like everything in life family is changing. The percentage of non-traditional family is growing more and more. As mention before homosexual families are big parts of this evolution. But many wonder; what is parenthood? How are homosexual families different from traditional families? And how different countries look at homosexual families?
No doubt that in today's society one of the issues that are often faced it is a high divorce rate, abandonment, single parent etc. and is very unfortunate that in a civilized society these situations are growing in a daily basis. Creating with these other type of situations known as Blended Families, and sometimes this reality it is very difficult to accept especially for those who have a conservative mindset because they think when those situations arise; they degrade the foundations of the family as they know it.
5. Noller, P., & Fitzpatrick, M. A. (1991). Markal communicafion. In A. Booth (Ed.),Contemporary families: Looking forward, looking back, (pp. 42-53). Minneapohs, MN: National Council on Family Relations.
...tion of women. Gilligan's research of women, In a Different Voice (1982), resulted in a model of stages of moral development based on responsibility and care for self and others rather than on justice.”(Swanson 2009).
Families headed by gay and lesbian parents are just as diverse as families led by heterosexual couples (Thompson 36). The only difference in these families is there are two mothers or two fathers. They are seen as “unnatural” by most conservatives and religious organizations and their affiliates (Gateway Child Wellfare Information). The media usually portrays same-sex couples as “white, middle-class, two-parent families who have been together for many years. In actuality, these families are a small percent of the larger LGBTQ family community”. Because of the cultural and societal views of what makes an “ideal family” in the United States as “one mother, one father, and two children,” it is difficult for others to accept those that have two mothers or two fathers. These families are usually started by one parent who “came out” as lesbian or gay after divorcing a husband or wife. Additionally, blended families, which consist of one parent who remarried and the step-parent adopted the child or children that way, through artificial insemination and surrogacy, and there are couples who adopt children from the foster care system and adoption agencies (Thompso...
Carol Gilligan argued that “…moral development of men and women is quite different. While men tend to focus on human rights, justice, and freedom, the principles of human responsibility, caring and commitment form the basis of women’s sense of morality. Feminists now refer to all aspects of society differentiating between masculine and feminine, such as toys for boys and girls, a segregated labour force, and advertisements that accentuate cultural ideas of masculinity and femininity, as elements of a gendered society."[Baker and Driden p193]
The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….
Murdock’s idealised view of the family could now be seen as outdated as it is no longer the most common family structure in Britain today although it can still be used as an argument against other perspectives. While there have been many changes to the structure of the family and the roles performed within it, the nuclear family remains an ideal for the majority of people in society.
The modern world has resulted in earnings, wages and salaries for the women similar to that of men, but the women are continuously facing inequalities in the work force (Andal 2002). This2 can be attributed to the pre-established notion that women shall not be given access to finance or communication with the world outside of the home which is highly unethical and unfair (Eisenhower, 2002). In the past, they were considered as the underprivileged ones which were not thought of having equal rights but this fact has changed now. The status of women can be explicitly defined as the equality and the freedom of the women.