The Sexual contract, Carol Pateman
The sexual contract,Carol Pateman addresses very seriously is the concept of the women been left behind on society. In her book she mention the state of nature,that was use in moral,political philosophy religion and social contract theories. She explained that our rights and freedoms were acquire from the social contract and it was interpret by political theorist like Locke,Rousseau and Hobbes. Pateman mention the story of the original contract that establishes modern patriarchy and how the sexual contract is ignore over women’s rights. However one of the main targets on the book is about those feminist who have looked for a better contract having an equal rights. She also mention the conventional understanding of actual contract in every day life such as marriage contract, employment contract and prostitution contract.
“These familiar readings of the classic stories fail to mention that good deal more than freedom is at stake Men’s domination over women and the right of men to enjoy equal sexual access to women is at issue in the making of the original pact” Pg2 I think this quote has a meaning, because over the years women are been trying to have the same rights as a men, we still fighting over men been dominant and I think there are some changes over the years, I notice that in the streets there is more men taking care of their kids, men with strollers or picking their child from school. I also notice women working in position that use to be only for men.
The reading of the theoretical battle between the patriarchalists and social contract theorists. There are different theorist have their own version of the state of nature. Pateman mention some of the political theorist, for example she mention Hobbes on pg. 6 ” Women are the subject of the contract. The (sexual) contract is the vehicle through which men transform their natural right over women into the security of civil patriarchal right” Hobbes have the idea that all human are by nature equal in faculty of body and mind. However Locke consider the state of nature that all men are free but depending on their actions and possession they will be free.
Pateman writes about Rousseau where she mention that he was the only classic contract theorist who rejects slavery and any contract. One of Rousseau theory was that all men are born as a blank slate and later society and the environment influence which way it lean. I believe this is true, society and the environment is a huge influence in what our actions are, specially in this days where we have technology and we are able to watch over the world.
