Pateman Says The Sexual Contract Is Part Of The Social Contr

Pateman Says The Sexual Contract Is Part Of The Social Contract De

Describe with reference to the “Founding Fathers” of the U.S.; and the establishment of Australia, how Pateman argues that the sexual contract is part of the social contract. Pateman contends that the social contract traditionally excludes women and private relations, embedding gender hierarchy into political structures from the outset. The founding fathers of the U.S. and Australia's colonial rulers both implicitly accepted a sexual contract that positioned women as subordinate, reinforcing patriarchal authority through laws and social norms. This inclusion of gendered relations into the broader social contract sustains women's secondary status and limits their political participation and rights. Pateman’s analysis reveals that such gendered dimensions are fundamental to understanding the origins and ongoing influence of the social contract in shaping societal power dynamics.

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Pateman’s critique of the social contract emphasizes the embedded gendered nature of political origins, notably illustrating how patriarchal relations are integral to the formation of modern states. Specifically, in the context of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States, men’s exclusive rights and authority were established alongside the marginalization of women, effectively entrenching the sexual contract within the broader social contract framework. Similarly, the colonization of Australia involved the imposition of laws and social norms that reinforced male dominance and restricted women’s participation in civic life, embedding patriarchal relations into national institutional structures. These historical examples demonstrate that the social contract is not gender-neutral but fundamentally linked to a sexual contract that sustains gender hierarchies. Pateman’s thesis challenges traditional liberal narratives by underscoring how private patriarchal relations are intertwined with public political arrangements, shaping inequalities that persist today. The sexual contract, therefore, is a crucial component of the social contract that perpetuates gender-based inequalities and exclusion from political power.

References

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