Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes are regarded as some of the prominent English political
philosophers who contributed a lot and had profound impact on modern political science. Locke
and Hobbes’ ideas did shape and influenced modern political thinking on a number of areas. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
Their views on distribution of power in the society, democracy, human nature, and rights of the
individuals amongst others are some of their views that still impacts modern political science.
More importantly, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke did argue that women are “by nature” free
and equal to men (Mitchell, 2003). Surprisingly though, none of them used this observation to
propose for the equality of women in the civil society. This paper therefore illustrates the reason
behind this in addition to justifying if the lack of full inclusion of women in civil society
consistent with their approach or just an anomaly. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.

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John Locke had feminist leanings. By reading his writings, especially the Second Treatise
of Government, is able to realize his attention and important status of women. Locke goes ahead
and establishes the status of women as being equal to men by arguing that women are not some
form of property and women can still retain power in the absence of their father. In addition,
Locke argues that women are capable of leaving or walking out the compact of marriage not
forgetting his idea that women should also be respected just like men (Slomp, 2000).
The relegation of women to insignificance or to the background of second class citizens
has been evident in various stages of human history (Slomp, 2000). The Greeks, for instance, had
misogynic premises about women. By custom and law, the woman was under the assertive
authority of the man or the husband. Men were regarded as the active, life and the forming principle in aspects of procreation. Later on though, John Locke came through and argued for
equality between the sexes (Brennan, 2013). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
The condition of women during the time of Locke
Due to protests and changing social attitudes, the position of women in the society has
changed significantly. However, during the time of John Locke the subordination of women
remains striking (Locke, 2003). His argument for the equality of men and women in the society
gives us an insight into the condition of women during his time. For instance, by then, women
had fewer grounds for divorce, active participation of women in politics was rare, and husbands
controlled their wives personal property (Locke, 2003). In addition, rape was justified in
marriage as wives lacked crucial features such legal personhood since the husband was taken as
the overall representative of the family. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
By understanding the above narratives, we can clearly see that at this time, the legal
status of women was no very far to the status of slaves. The subordination of women was a
principle that regulated the existing social relations between the two sexes. In fact, the
relationship by then has been termed by other scholars as being slave-like relationship (Locke,
2003). It was from this background that John Locke began his philosophy of gender.

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Thomas Hobbes, especially in his writings tilted the Leviathan, echoes the above
comments. According to him too, women should be considered equal to men especially in a state
of war. Hobbes’s main concern is the destruction of patriarchal power in addition to the
irrelevance of gender since such are admissible aspects or excuses put in place for different
treatment of men and women living together in political associations (Locke, 2003). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment. Here, we can also see Hobbes’s sensitiveness towards women while calling for their equal treatment in the
society in the same way men are treated (Locke, 2003).
Locke’s View of Women and the aspect of Equality
Even though the writings of John Locke have been praised as having feminist leanings,
he falls short of feminist ideals of equality between the sexes by limiting each of his female
rights or political equality in the civil society. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
According to Locke, women were to be accorded privileges in the sense that mothers
were given overall authority over children in the absence of their fathers (Social Contract, 2016).
This is in important aspect of equality. However, Locke argues that it’s only in the absence of the
father that the mother is allowed some form of control. Here, we can see a situation whereby
Locke failed to address the roles of the woman in the civil society. In fact, it is the fathers will
which gets addressed first. By only giving women power in the absence of men, the aspect of
inequality is brought into light.
Secondly, Locke did an exemplary work by disregarding the idea of treating women as
some form of property. Locke further argues that women can be shareholders of property or land
on the condition that they work or labor the land. Here, women seem to have been given more
power in the society. However, according to female perspectives, this argument falls short of
their opinions. Even though females are not classified as some form of property, it seems that
they have not been established as being equal to men. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment. Additionally too, Locke makes a bold assumption that children and women are not responsible for the actions of men in the event of
war. This aspect seems to create a barrier between men and women and subsequent inequality
between the two sexes (Social Contract, 2016). Even though John Locke did establish women as being separate entities from men, he fails to accurately address the equality of women’s rights as
distinctly equal to those of men. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
John Locke went ahead and granted more power to women by giving them the ability to
leave a marriage if they so wish (Social Contract, 2016). This aspect seems to establish a
woman’s rights by cutting her dependence on her husband. However, Locke gives such a right
with the context the full knowledge that women hold no means by which they can survive on
their own. In addition, property is passed down from the father creating a situation where a
woman may possess land. This is clearly an aspect of inequality.
As evident therefore, Locke’s argument can be seen as being progressive and having
feminist leanings even though some limitations exist. Other scholars such as Thomas Hobbes did
address the issue of female inequality in the society as discussed below.

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Feminist interpretation of Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes is an exception and a celebrated figure among early political scientists
through his affirmation of gender equality. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment. However, as earlier indicated, Hobbes failed to use this observation to argue for women’s political equality in the civil society. In analyzing some of
his writings, feminists regard them as being disingenuous and a cause for suspicion. Some
feminists such as Okin for instance, argues that Hobbesian gender equality somehow excludes
women from participating in the political life while assuming or giving room for the necessity of
a male dominated field in family and the society at large (Wright, 2002). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
Some feminist scholars have argued that there are problematic pieces in Hobbes’s writing
that goes against his views on gender equality and the political prospects of women. For
instance, Hobbes’s characterization of the family unit in the state of nature is mainly or distinctly male-dominated (Wright, 2002). It totally excludes the participation of women. In this picture,
apart from women being subordinate, they are not even mentioned. The lack of inclusion of
women in civil society even in the modern times is consistent with such an approach. Women are
rarely active participants in majority of roles (Wright, 2002).
By reading the works of Hobbes, one can notice a situation whereby women later
reappear in political society as wives and daughters who are subjects to the will of the husbands
and fathers. Aspects of inequality further continue as women become subjects of men as a result
of their maternal dominion. For that reason, men seem to have conquered women (Gray, 2000).
Furthermore, feminists have argued that men tend to regard women as helpers as ordained by
God while men end up as masters and overall heads of the family. Such a situation is not an
anomaly at all. In fact, it is consistent with the approaches of Hobbes as women in the civil
society play a peripheral role in a number of activities (Gray, 2000). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
Even though Hobbes argues that men are equal to women, a weak sense of equality
between the sexes partly exists. It is argued that men are generally the greater recipients of
physical strength. Men are generally classified as occupying the high end of stamina or physical
strength while women occupy the lower end (Gray, 2000). Men’s greater physical strength has
put them in a greater position in a state of nature where the formation of aspects such as
master/servant roles is mostly, if not exclusively, encouraged or motivated by force. Feminists
argue that men do not have original dominion over women.
Critics against the works of Hobbes have not stopped. Other feminist scholars such as
Pateman have argued that Hobbes’s writings, especially the Social Contract did greatly relegate
women to a private sphere once the contract had been made. Even though it is widely acknowledged that the social contract gives rise to what is known as the free realm of politics,
Pateman did argue that Hobbes’s writings did not explain at all the freedom and equality of
women in the state of nature. Hobbes assumed women’s customary position as being the
domestic sphere (Mitchell, 2003).
Women’s Weak Equality
By reading the works of Thomas Hobbes, we can see a situation where women are
subjects of men in a state of nature. Simply put, men and women are not equal and women’s
involvement in politics in the civil society is rare. Men have legitimized their position and
dominion at the expense of women. Hobbes posits strength as the deciding factor of who will
rule in a civil society. He argues that men have natural dominion over women (Slomp, 2000). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
Interpretation of the weak equality by Hobbes makes sense by looking at how families
are structured with men or fathers being regarded as masters. In the political setup, Hobbes
argues that in the event of a hereditary rule, a male heir is to be preferred over a female “because
men are naturally fitter than women, for actions of labour and danger” (Broadie, 2013).
According to Pateman and Okin, the aspect of equality in Hobbes’s civil society only
applies to men or males. Equality between a wife and a husband is judged as being impossible
and he goes ahead to say that a husband and wife cannot govern jointly in a family setup. There
can only be one master and the husband is the necessary representative of the family in a civil
setting (Broadie, 2013). Indicators of a lack of inclusion of women in civil society in relation to the approaches of
Hobbes and Locke
Even though women have made remarkable gains on matters to do with equality and
participation in politics, much still needs to be done. In the United States for instance, the low
number of women in politics is evident. Many other countries across the globe also have few
women holding powerful positions in the civil society. Even though the gender gap in politics is
shrinking, the speeds at which they are doing so is slow. The lack of full inclusion of women in
the society is consistent with the approaches of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke (Hughes et al,
2015). Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
A host of issues have accounted for the above trends. Men have assumed the position that
they are superior to men. They believe that God created a woman as a helper to the man. Men
have always believed that they are the stronger sex hence their dominion over women. In some
societies, women have been seen as sexual gatekeepers whose position is in the kitchen (Hughes
et al, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke made enormous contributions towards
the aspect of equality in the society. They all advised for the need to have equal preference
between men and women in the society by arguing that women are by nature free and equal to
men. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment. However, as we have seen above, such claims are not completely true. Women have been a subject of male dominance for the better part of human evolution. In the civil society, women’s
political equality is rarely in practice. The patriarchal nature of the society, the idea that a woman
is a helper to a man, and aspects of masculinity have been used as basis of inequality between men and women in the society. Locke and Hobbes, though credited with coming up with a recipe
for equality, are criticized on some grounds as not using this observation for addressing or
arguing for women’s political inequality in the civil society. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.

References

Brennan, P. M. (2013). "The Pursuit of Happiness" Comes Home to Roost? Same-Sex Union,
the Summum Bonum, and Equality. BYU Journal Of Public Law, 27(2), 323-343.
Broadie, A. (2013). James Dundas on the Hobbesian State of Nature. Journal Of Scottish
Philosophy, 11(1), 1-13. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.
Gray, M. (2002). Feminist Interpretations of Thomas Hobbes: A Response to Carole Pateman
and Susan Okin, Journal of Political Science CEU 5(1), 1-29.
Hughes, M. M., Krook, M. L., & Paxton, P. (2015). Transnational Women's Activism and the
Global Diffusion of Gender Quotas. International Studies Quarterly, 59(2), 357-372.
Locke, J. (2003). Two treatises of government and a Letter concerning toleration.
London: Yale University Press.
Mitchell, J. (2003). Hobbes and the equality of all under the one. Political Theory, 21(1), 78.
Slomp, G. (2000). Hobbes and the equality of women. Political Studies, 42(3), 441-452.
Social contract. (2016). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.
Wright, J. H. (2002). Going Against the Grain:. Journal Of Women's History, 14(1), 123. Perspective On Politics Essay Assignment.