A Defense of the Capabilities Approach
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8 word format
document in English
humanities/philosophy
presentation
published 03/05/2007
review : Completed
level : General public
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Summary
There is no country in the world where women are treated equally to men. Women are consistently fed less than men, given fewer educational opportunities, and fewer freedoms. Situations in developing countries are often more overtly detrimental to women, for example in India, it is estimated that “one woman is raped every 54 minute, and rape cases increased 32% between 1990 and 1997” (Nussbaum quoting India Abroad, Women and Human Development, p. 3). However, women’s inequality is not simply a “Third World” issue; it is a problem that affects women’s lives every day in nearly every country. For example, a similar type of statistic can be found for the United States: “Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted”. Obviously the occurrence of rape in America is much higher than that of India, especially since India has a population about four times as large as the United States. While looking at these numbers, which in no way reflect the magnitude of problems women face, one must ask, how can women flourish if they cannot be assured basic bodily integrity and freedom from harm? Martha Nussbaum seeks to try and provide a theory to answer this question. Her Capabilities Approach establishes ten capabilities that Nussbaum believes are necessary for women to have the ability to fight inequalities or at least to secure a stable life for themselves.
Table of Contents
- Many critics have attacked her approach because it seems too universalistic
- Nussbaum argues that, in order to be an effective feminist and critic of the status quo...
- Nussbaum, and other feminists, believe that accusations of 'Westernization' are ways of discrediting activists struggling for change
- Obviously, these views clearly devalue women's contributions and abilities
- Moreover, Nussbaum believes that moral relativism asks people to follow or tolerate local traditions, which tend not to be relative
- These criticisms are some of the major obstacles that a supporter of universal values faces
- Nussbaum strives to separate capabilities and functioning
- Nussbaum offers very convincing responses to most of her critiques
- While Nussbaum's theory is very clear on paper, it is difficult to see how it could be implemented in a society like India all at once
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