Women's Voices

Six key scholars present a feminist critique of the theory of human rights.. The title of this volume, Womens Voices, Womens Rights, might be taken innocently to indicate its contents: a set of lectures given by women on the rights of women, on the failure to achieve those rights, and on the reasons and remedies for those failures. However, it also implies that womens rights are not simply the extension to all members of the community of the agreed-upon rights of men. Is to speak in a womans voice to speak in a different voice? Each lecture explores the values of Western societies, and the sources of the oppression of women within them, while many also provide a political contribution to the argument over the international context in which womens status seems to be under constant threat. The lectures rest on a shared commitment to the dignity, humanity, and unique individuality of each human persona tenet that underpins the human rights movement, provides the moral impetus for feminism and, indeed, is the motive force behind Amnesty Internationals campaigning on behalf of political prisoners world-wide. Ultimately, the contributors show us that to speak from the perspective of women, to adopt a womans voice, is therefore to enrich our understanding of the rights of all. The title of this volume, Womens Voices, Womens Rights, might be taken innocently to indicate its contents: a set of lectures given by women on the rights of women, on the failure to achieve those rights, and on the reasons and remedies for those failures. However, it also implies that womens rights are not simply the extension to all members of the community of the agreed-upon rights of men. Is to speak in a womans voice to speak in a different voice? Each lecture explores the values of Western societies, and the sources of the oppression of women within them, while many also provide a political contribution to the argument over the international context in which womens status seems to be under constant threat. The le ctures rest on a shared commitment to the dignity, humanity, and unique individuality of each human persona tenet that underpins the human rights movement, provides the moral impetus for feminism and, indeed, is the motive force behind Amnesty Internationals campaigning on behalf of political prisoners world-wide.Early chapters examine liberal political theory: Martha Nussbaum provides a vigorous defense of liberalism as an essential vehicle for feminism. Onora ONeill rejects the reliance of many liberals on the language of rights. Marilyn French looks at religion and economic theory, exploring how women have been presumed to be less than fully human. Naomi Wolf addresses why human rights do not necessarily belong naturally to women by exploring the way honor and sexual dignity are crucial to womens equal enjoyment of rights. Michle le Doeuff looks at the institution of matrimony, examining the relations of authority and social practice that determine male power. Shere Hite presents a powerful polemic about the current position of women in the face of the resurgence of fundamentalist religious beliefs throughout the world. Ultimately, the contributors show us that to speak from the perspective of women, to adopt a womans voice, is therefore to enrich our understanding of the rights of all.