The Autonomy Myth: A Theory Of Dependency

by Martha Albertson Fineman

A brilliant exposé of the contradiction between the American myth of self-reliance and the reality of an interdependent society. With the controversy over gay marriages grabbing national headlines, traditional conceptions of family in American society have become subject to increasingly fierce debate. In The Autonomy Myth , influential and always-provocative legal theorist Martha Albertson Fineman expands the terms of the debate even further to argue for public policy that reflects the realities of how we live together. As Fineman points out, those charged with administering U.S. social policy have long considered the marital family household as both separate and self-sufficient, often at the cost of the well-being of many families and their members, especially children. Vigorously taking issue with this approach, Fineman makes the compelling case that the sexually affiliated couple is not the appropriate building block for contemporary families. Instead, she argues, society should be organized around "caretaking relationships," particularly those involving children or elderly dependents. In this paradigm-shifting book Fineman insists that, because each of us is "inevitably dependent" at various stages in our lives, it makes far more sense for us to recognize from the outset that society as a whole has a vital role to play in providing assistance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Sociology

387 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2004

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I spent, really, most of the year reading -- a fact about which I refuse to feel guilty, although it certainly robbed the book of a great deal of its urgency. I read it a few pages at a time, here and there -- not because it was difficult reading academically (while there were a few passages I had to read a few times over, they were only a few, and the jargon was rather light for a book of legal theory and feminist analysis) -- but because it was difficult emotionally. I would read a few pages and get all fired up about the injustice of the world, or how unreasonably difficult it would be to advance some of these reforms in America, and I would have to put the book down and leave the room.

Fineman's case is certainly compelling, at least to me. I am afraid of oversimplifying her arguments in an attempt to sum them up, so instead I will only briefly review the facets that were the most compelling to me: that the functional reality of families has changed significantly in past decades, and legal structures defining and affectin them have not yet caught up; that what should be privileged by the law is not relationships between equals, but the caretaker-dependent relationship, which can take many forms and is radically undervalued in today's society; that the definition of autonomy as being able to support one's self or family without government assistance stands in the way of a more robust, progressive definition of equality.

My only notable complaint about this book is very pragmatic. How, exactly, would one go about privileging the caretaking relationship instead of the marital? Marriage is, after all, something licensed and recorded by the state. And while the caretaking relationship is also formalized by the state in the case of children -- through birth records, adoption, and custody arrangements, Fineman argues privileging not just this caretaking relationship, but also caring for aging parents, disabled adults, etc. Perhaps there is already some simple mechanism for this in place that I am just not familiar with, but I often wondered about it, while reading. After all, if the state is going to privilege a relationship, it can be expected to gatekeep it -- just look at the ongoing gay marriage battle.

But don't let this (small) complaint dissuade you. Anyone interested in family policy should have this on their to-read list.

[Joan Garvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Martha Fineman for your important work placing the work of care within this wider historical and philosophical context. I am always referencing your work which calls for a rewriting of our philosophical heritage that recognises and responds to the centrality of the work of care to our social, cultural and economic systems. May this challenge be realized.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! It was like a flashback to sociology classes, but it focused on social contracts. Let's face it - the social contract just is not set-up to protect families and even couples for that matter. It comes from a slightly legal perspective, but you'll feel so enlightened after you are done reading. I am glad I picked out this book for our book club!

[Daniel Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting discussion about how even being who think they are ultra dependent are in fact interdependent and could not function without "the rest of us".