Carole Pateman's Theories Of Urban Democracy

It is fitting the “Theories of Urban Democracy” ends with reading on an ignored topic in previous readings of this section: gender. The authors of previous weeks all detailed their theories on the role of citizens in urban politics. Yet, none of the authors, save of Pasciuti, wrote in detail of the status of women in municipal democracy. Mills touched upon the role of women in the “power elite” in his book of the same title, but the role of women in New Haven society is secondary in Mills’ account. This designation is not his intentional doing, but is a reflection of the subjects he recorded in The Power Elite The place of women in power dynamics in American cities is not clearly defined. Historically, women have been excluded from enjoying
The welfare state has done a disservice to women as it perpetuates the concept of the “social exile” that Hegel believed “women…are natural social exiles” and need incorporation through other means. Pateman summarized Hegel’s theory as on that can be explained by the exploitative nature of capitalism. For Hegel, women are not made citizens in the same manner as men, but through traditional/conventional means through the family. For women, their historical citizenship status encompassed their roles as mothers and wives in the family structure in a subservient position, then how can Pateman argued the opposite? Her compelling response to this question lies in employment and
According to Pateman, men consider woman natural dependence, always in need of defending and male protection. In the welfare state, this notion of protection relates to economic stability through non-domestic employment, a form of citizenship. Employment gives employees a stake in the larger society, a feeling of a civic community. In the private sector, the male is the breadwinner and protector of the family’s societal status. In the contemporary era, women hold jobs and professions, but are still excluded from citizenship. Women face high segregation and pay inequity, which occurred because “capitalist economies are patriarchal…[and] are clustered at the lower end of the lower end of the occupational hierarchy.” Women have been excluded from the labor force, but now that they are forced to undertake unskilled and low paying professions or other professions that perpetuate their roles as nurtures or caretakes. Such roles reduce any chance of women enjoying citizens in the traditional path that men do. Pateman made compelling arguments. However, her criticisms of the welfare state seem to discredit the successes it has in alleviating some of the burdens of property. Further, welfare aids individuals without financial or political means to feel as participants in society. Patenam could have used more contemporary examples (1980s) to expand her argument. Whereas Patenam’s piece focused on the