Assignment 2: The Sexual Contract
According to Carole Pateman in her book “The Sexual Contract” men dominated women and had the right to treat them as someone of less value. During a marriage, rape was considered part of a right that the husband had it (Pg.7). In the original contract, it was established that men had rights over women, they could dominate them because they were their subordinates. I believe this has been happening all the time, even today in some countries women are considered not equal.
Women were not part of the original contract (pg, 6) but were part in the contract of marriage. I assume women have been incorporated in a different way than men in a “civil society”, this was at the moment of the contract of their marriage and also at the moment of having a child. In the natural condition, all men were considered “born free” and they were equal as any other men, contrary to this women were not considered “born free” this means they did not have freedom and equality (pg, 6).
Pateman also explains that women didn’t have this freedom because they were considered subordinate, this means women should obey their husband all the time. According to Pateman, she mentions that in the social contract freedom becomes obedience and in exchange, protection was provided (Pg, 7), I believe women were feeling that protection when they accepted a contract of marriage.
The origins of the patriarch have been since the Seventeenth century where women knew that wives were subordinates by husbands. Women were also being exploited because they belonged to a contract. In this case, in the marriage contract, one of the parties had the right to make decisions and use the other party in the way that he wanted. In this case, the women were used sexually and also had to fulfill the tasks of the house (pg 8).
At present time I believe that marriage contract has not changed much because even now women are dominated by husbands especially women who grew up seeing a man as the only one in making decisions in a marriage. I think this subordination also comes from our culture, for those who come from countries in South America is very common that men dominate their wives. Even today the role of women in some marriages is to serve the husband and procreate a family, without having a voice in the relationship and only trying to accept their husband’s requirements.
