| Titre | Droit naturel, nature féminine et égalité des sexes | |
|---|---|---|
| Auteur | Éléni Varikas | |
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Revue | L'Homme et la société |
| Numéro | no 85-86, 3e et 4e trimestres 1987 Les droits de l'homme et le nouvel occidentalisme | |
| Rubrique / Thématique | 2. Genèse des Droits de l'Homme : citoyenneté, droits sociaux et droits des peuples |
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| Page | 98-111 | |
| Résumé anglais |
Eléni Varikas, Natural law, female nature and the equality of the sexes
The ideology of natural law has been both a crucial starting point and a dangerous argument in the historical struggle for gender equality. On the one hand, the notion of "innate" rights suggested the existence of a common humanity out of which stemmed the same rights for all ; but on the other hand, this notion could be used to legitimate a conception of rights depending on "innate" qualities or capacities of each social group. This latter use of natural law, would drive feminists to substitute their universalistic claims for a new theory of natural law, in which maternal right was designated as the right par excellence in accordance to Nature. This theory was based on the superiority of "female nature" and "maternal values" as opposed to male values which were considered as the main source of the right of might. Although this theory encouraged the formation of a collective gender identity, it imposed severe limits on feminist thought. Its naturalist vision of "difference" obscured the social character of gender inequalities and of the relations between the sexes. Source : Éditeur (via Persée) |
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| Article en ligne | http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/homso_0018-4306_1987_num_85_3_2311 |
