Women, Politics, and Reproduction: The Liberal Legacy - Softcover

Makus, Ingrid

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802076637 ISBN 13: 9780802076632

Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr, 1996

Synopsis

In this book Ingrid Makus examines the position of women and the role of parenting in the thought of three traditional liberal philosophers - Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill. She does so in response to the feminist claim that women are excluded from most models of the political community, including the liberal one, in traditional Western political theory. She finds that in these philosophers' works women indeed fall short of achieving equal political status - but for reasons which feminist interpretations have overlooked.

The relationship between children and both parents is a more fundamental problem for political theory, according to Makus, than addressing adversarial relations between men and women. Traditional liberal thought has difficulty accounting for the care of children without placing women in a role that creates tension between their rights (self-interest) and duties (care for others). She shows how this tension is evident in modern liberal society, where it comes to the forefront in contemporary debates about women's reproductive rights and their underrepresentation in politics.

Finally, Makus explores whether feminist theory, in its various forms, presents alternatives to the liberal tradition or whether it replicates for women the dilemmas of the liberal legacy. She also addresses the potential for feminist theory to encourage a political community inclusive of women, children, and men.

About this edition

• Publisher: Univ of Toronto Pr
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0802076637
• ISBN 13: 9780802076632
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 274