Response to the article:

Women and Work, the Capabilities Approach

          The essay Women and Work, the Capabilities Approach by Martha Nussbaum was an interesting article talking about if women from all cultures across the world should be grouped into one category for the agreement of women’s rights.  There are many arguments both for and against cross cultural objectives. 

            One argument is that every difference between cultures is beautiful because of its differences.  Every language and land is beautiful because it is different from the previous one.  Cross cultural objectives are important because beauty in China is different than beauty in New Zealand.  Each culture has a different society and places a higher standard on some things rather than others.  How women raise their children around the world is very different.  This difference don’t make one society bad mothers compared to the next, it is a difference that is beautiful because it is a difference.  Fighting for a woman’s right to run for a political office isn’t truly a fight around the world since some countries have laws preventing females in office while other countries invite females to be in the political arena.   

            Another argument is that people must judge for themselves what is best.  A person knows what they are capable of and what best suits them.  Grouping all women into one category and arguing for all women’s rights around the world isn’t the same fight.  Women fighting for certain rights in Africa are very different than women fighting for the same rights in America.  We live in different societies and are given different rights and responsibilities according to those societies.  My society gives me the opportunity to hold a job while not all societies around the world allow their women to work outside of the home.  We need to let those women decide what rights are best for them and worth fighting for.  Women in one country fighting for women’s rights aren’t fighting the same fight as women around the world.  Each society needs to let their females decide what rights they want to fight for. 

            An additional argument for cross cultural objectives is that in the past we have judged a countries quality of life by their Gross National Product per capita.  This doesn’t give an accurate account of a country’s quality of life because people vary in their abilities.  One person may be able to produce a different amount of a product than their neighbor.  Also this only gives a value to products that can be sold and calculated.  Child bearing and child rearing aren’t products that can be measures with a price.  This means that in a very barbaric society where only men work outside of the home a woman doesn’t contribute to the Gross National Product because child care and house work isn’t a national product that can be sold. 

            The article had some good points about why we need cross cultural objectives when fighting for women’s rights.  Each society is different and deserves to let the women choose what issues they wish to fight for not have someone tell them that these are the issues that they need should be fighting for.