Basic Income, Gender Justice and the Costs of Gender-Symmetrical Lifestyles
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Anca Gheaus
I argue that, in the currently gender-unjust societies a basic income would not advance feminist goals. To assess the impact of a social policy on gender justice I propose the following criterion: a society is gender-just when the costs of engaging in a lifestyle characterized by gender-symmetry (in both the domestic and public spheres) are, for both men and women, smaller or equal to the costs of engaging in a gender-asymmetrical lifestyle. For a significant number of women, a basic income would increase the costs of leading gender-symmetrical lifestyles because it would make it easier for both women and men to pursue gender-unjust preferences. I argue that preference satisfaction is distinct from justice. I conclude by showing why a basic income would lead to further privatisation of caregiving, and I outline the negative effects this would have on women.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Front Matter
- Content
- List of Contributors
- Research Note
- Introduction: Revisiting the Feminism and Basic Income Debate
- Basic Income and the Gendered Division of Labour
- Basic Income Grants or the Welfare State: Which Better Promotes Gender Equality?
- All Things Considered, Should Feminists Embrace Basic Income?
- Institutionalizing the Universal Caretaker Through a Basic Income?
- Basic Income, Gender Justice and the Costs of Gender-Symmetrical Lifestyles
- Can a Basic Income Lead to a More Gender Equal Society?
- Book Review
- Review of Amilcar Moreira, The Activation Dilemma: Reconciling the Fairness and Effectiveness of Minimum Income Schemes in Europe
- Review of Erik Christensen, The Heretical Political Discourse: A Discourse Analysis of the Danish Debate on Basic Income
Articles in the same Issue
- Front Matter
- Content
- List of Contributors
- Research Note
- Introduction: Revisiting the Feminism and Basic Income Debate
- Basic Income and the Gendered Division of Labour
- Basic Income Grants or the Welfare State: Which Better Promotes Gender Equality?
- All Things Considered, Should Feminists Embrace Basic Income?
- Institutionalizing the Universal Caretaker Through a Basic Income?
- Basic Income, Gender Justice and the Costs of Gender-Symmetrical Lifestyles
- Can a Basic Income Lead to a More Gender Equal Society?
- Book Review
- Review of Amilcar Moreira, The Activation Dilemma: Reconciling the Fairness and Effectiveness of Minimum Income Schemes in Europe
- Review of Erik Christensen, The Heretical Political Discourse: A Discourse Analysis of the Danish Debate on Basic Income
