Published in 1991 (first published 1989)
227 pages
Susan Moller Okin is a professor of politics at Stanford University. She is a liberal feminist political philosopher, and author of Justice, Gender, and the Family and Women in Western Political Thought.
What is this book about?
In the first feminist critique of modern political theory, Okin shows how the failure to apply theories of justice to the family not only undermines our most cherished democratic values but has led to a major crisis over gender-related issues.
Co-winner of the American Political Science Association’s 1990 Victoria Schuck Award, given for the best book(s) published in 1989 on women and politics.
Good review from Will Jerom on Amazon:
Okin’s works is sure to be a classic of Feminism. Although the book is now 22 years old, many of its observations hit home as much now as they did in 1989. Okin strives for a more gender-neutral, or even “genderless” (I know – is that possible? Critics may wonder, and the idea should be discussed) model of the family, in which neither man nor women bear a greater share or burden of unpaid family work, and in which public institutions make possible both men and women sharing in the rearing of the family. It is a bold and challenging feminist vision, no doubt very controversial in its demands, but sure to provoke meaningful thought and conversations amongst readers interested in the issues of justice in the family. Okin convincing argues that divorce, gender expectations, and the general male-bias of society makes it very difficult for women to attain fully equal roles with men. Whether nor not Okin has the answer to women’s needs, her ideas are bound to evoke a deep and challenging response in the reader’s thought.
