Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Maternalism: Maternalism is a socio-political ideology advocating for government or societal involvement in social welfare, often emphasizing maternal or nurturing qualities in governance. It promotes policies supporting the well-being of individuals and families, including healthcare, education, and labor reforms, based on the idea of a nurturing, protective role similar to that of a mother in a family. See also Paternalism, Feminism, Welfare state, Healthcare system, Family, Labour, Equal rights._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Mary Dietz on Maternalism - Dictionary of Arguments
Gaus I 282 Maternalism/Dietz/Mottier: The most systematic and influential critique of maternal thinking has been formulated by Dietz (1992)(1). >Maternalism/Political philosophy, >Maternalism/MacKinnon. Dietz criticizes maternalists for committing the same errors as liberal thinkers: 1) first, by transforming a historical model of female identity into a universal and ahistorical one; and 2) second, by reproducing the same rigid distinction between the public and the private as liberal approaches to citizenship. Democracy/virtues: As Dietz points out, there is no reason to think that the experience of mothering leads necessarily to democratic practices. Values that are virtues when taking care of vulnerable children in the private sphere are not necessarily a good model for political interactions between equal citizens in the public sphere. She consequently pleads in favour of a conception of citizenship that would resist the 'temptation of womanism' which attributes a superior moral nature to women (1992(1): 393). As Dietz puts it, 'such a premise would posit as a starting-point precisely what a democratic attitude must deny - that one group of citizens' voices is generally better, more deserving of attention, more worthy ofemulation, more moral, than another's' (1992(1):393). Society: Rather than a withdrawal into the assumed values of the private sphere or interest-group politics, Dietz emphasizes the active engagement of women in the public sphere. >Maternalism/Political philosophy. 1. Dietz, Mary (1992) 'Context is all: feminism and theories of citizenship'. In Chantal Mouffe, ed., Dimensions of Radical Democracy. London: Verso, 63-85. Véronique Mottier 2004. „Feminism and Gender Theory: The Return of the State“. In: Gaus, Gerald F. & Kukathas, Chandran 2004. Handbook of Political Theory. SAGE Publications_____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Dietz, Mary Gaus I Gerald F. Gaus Chandran Kukathas Handbook of Political Theory London 2004 |
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> Counter arguments against Dietz
> Counter arguments in relation to Maternalism
Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-20