by James P. Sterba

About the author: James P. Sterba is a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Contemporary feminists almost by definition seek to put an end to male domination and to secure women’s liberation. To achieve these goals, many feminists support the political ideal of a gender-free or androgynous society. According to these feminists, all assignments of rights and duties are ultimately to accord with the ideal of a gender-free or androgynous society. Since a conception of justice is usually thought to provide the ultimate grounds for the assignment of rights and duties, I shall refer to this ideal of a gender-free or androgynous society as “feminist justice.”

The Ideal Society

But how is this ideal to be interpreted? A gender-free or genderless...