Amelioration and inclusion: gender identity and the concept of woman

Jenkins, Katharine

Abstract

Feminist analyses of gender concepts must avoid the inclusion problem, the fault of marginalizing or excluding some prima facie women. Sally Haslanger’s ‘ameliorative’ analysis of gender concepts seeks to do so by defining woman by reference to subordination. I argue that Haslanger’s analysis problematically marginalizes trans women, thereby failing to avoid the inclusion problem. I propose an improved ameliorative analysis that ensures the inclusion of trans women. This analysis yields ‘twin’ target concepts of woman, one concerning gender as class and the other concerning gender as identity, both of which I hold to be equally necessary for feminist aims.

Citation

Jenkins, K. (2016). Amelioration and inclusion: gender identity and the concept of woman. Ethics, 126(2), 394-421. doi:10.1086/683535

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jun 30, 2017
• Print ISSN: 0014-1704
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 126
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 394-421
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/683535
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1117507
• Publisher URL: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/683535
• PMID: 00036675