The Need For A Genderless Society - Freedom, Equality, Justice

Does justice require the creation of a genderless society? In this essay, I will argue that it does, using Mary Okin's own arguments and evidence from her text. I will show that women, from when they are very small are put at a disadvantage and are placed in socially unequal roles as men. I will show how marriage and child rearing also has an effect upon women's equality and justice. I will also take into account the major arguments against this hypothesis and refute those citing specific examples.

When children enter grade school for the first time, the environment they are placed into fosters early on the idea of gender specific roles in life. Ninety percent of grade school teachers are female, and most all administrators are males. In being in an environment such as this, children are predisposed to the idea that there are specific jobs for men and women.

Having these pre-misconceptions puts women at a disadvantage early. They begin to see the world as male and female and are doing them an injustice. When they see this and think about the job careers, they themselves may pursue some day inadvertently think first of becoming a secretary, nurse, or a teacher. These professions are predominately female because of a long history of this social inequality that women have been facing. This is not fair and is doing them an injustice, because some careers that they may want to pursue they may see as being male dominated and will shy away from these fields. Some may argue that women may be better at teaching children or being a nurse because of their motherly instincts but the fact is simply they see no other options but to fit into this gender specific society.

Marriage is also a long lasting social...