"Justice, Gender, and the Family"

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly discusses how through her analysis of contemporary theories of justice and a discussion of the inequalities that are inherent to gender-based marriage and family, Okin claims that socially constructed, and maintained, injustice within the private sphere results in American women being equally repressed within the public sphere.

From the Paper:

"Although Okin addresses the wide range of existing theories of justice, such as those promoted by Rawls, Walzer, MacIntyre, and Nozick, and is generally critical of their failure to address gender inequalities, much of the criticism is extremely subjective and lacking in supportive evidence. The major omission from Okin's discussion is the philosophical question of whether the concept of justice has any role to play within the arena of the family, and if so, what form this justice should take. Additionally, despite pointing out the many perceived failings within the present theories of justice, Okin herself fails to put forward any cohesive or viable alternative. Another major drawback within this area of the book is the author's determination to evaluate theories, which have been formulated to deal with society in general, on the basis of their limited application to the area of the family, and more specifically to gender inequalities."

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