Van Parijs asks whether the fact that men engage in regrettable behavior at much higher rates than women could be seen as a “handicap” due to their hormonal set-up, and therefore as a dimension of gender inequality to men’s disadvantage. I argue that this suggestion rests on unwarranted assumptions about the meaning of gender equality and the causes of men’s behavior. Moreover, even if for the argument’s sake we grant these unwarranted assumptions, it is easy to show that no unfairness is suffered by men because of their (supposedly) unbalanced hormonal constitution. Indeed, if any injustice is done by our current social arrangements, it is injustice to those who suffer from the over-accommodation of this highly dangerous and destructive trait of men’s character.
A Blatant case of over-accommodation
OTTONELLI, VALERIA
2015-01-01
Abstract
Van Parijs asks whether the fact that men engage in regrettable behavior at much higher rates than women could be seen as a “handicap” due to their hormonal set-up, and therefore as a dimension of gender inequality to men’s disadvantage. I argue that this suggestion rests on unwarranted assumptions about the meaning of gender equality and the causes of men’s behavior. Moreover, even if for the argument’s sake we grant these unwarranted assumptions, it is easy to show that no unfairness is suffered by men because of their (supposedly) unbalanced hormonal constitution. Indeed, if any injustice is done by our current social arrangements, it is injustice to those who suffer from the over-accommodation of this highly dangerous and destructive trait of men’s character.
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