Social Division of moral principles

Following the story line it seems very appropriate to quote Pilar Ríos Campos, of University of Jaen, whom in her article “Voluntariado y Genero” (Volunteering and Gender) speaks of the “sexual division of Morals” as closely related to the sexual division of labor and of spaces.

She says that the differentiating values in which both sexes are socialized plays a role in the sexual division of labor, because their objective is to educate people to carry-out the roles assigned to their sex role with the maximum efficiency and the minimal resistance.

In this sense, Ríos maintains that men are assigned the Ethics of Justice, related to the public arena, while women are imposed by the Ethics of Caring for, and related to the private and domestic arena.

The domestic as a value represents like a gender demand of which it is difficult to escape from, even when we may find ourselves in the public arena: “Its effects go beyond the concrete spaces because they are attached to sex roles.”

That is why, she says, that assigning women to carry out work involving domestic work, like those involving care, attention and support (self-sacrifice) and less recognition and valued, they internalize it and as a result they are the ones that dedicate themselves even more to volunteer work, especially in social action and care as opposed to volunteer work of complaint and advocacy.

However, Pilar Ríos concludes that this dedication to Volunteering is one more obstacle for women to get their full citizenship, doing free work outside the home as well as inside.

We don’t agree completely with this statement because we come from the basis that the dedication of volunteers is throughout and conscious, it is not an impulse for the extension of tasks that are imposed to women’s roles in the public space.

On the other hand, association is a step toward the public participation and towards the awareness of new realities and new knowledge and personal relationships, all things that may lead to empower women to transcend “the four walls” of the domestic arena and limited contact with others outside their family circle or neighborhood. 

She says that the differentiating values in which both sexes are socialized plays a role in the sexual division of labor, because their objective is to educate people to carry-out the roles assigned to their sex role with the maximum efficiency and the minimal resistance.

In this sense, Ríos maintains that men are assigned the Ethics of Justice, related to the public arena, while women are imposed by the Ethics of Caring for, and related to the private and domestic arena.

The domestic as a value represents like a gender demand of which it is difficult to escape from, even when we may find ourselves in the public arena: “Its effects go beyond the concrete spaces because they are attached to sex roles.”

That is why, she says, that assigning women to carry out work involving domestic work, like those involving care, attention and support (self-sacrifice) and less recognition and valued, they internalize it and as a result they are the ones that dedicate themselves even more to volunteer work, especially in social action and care as opposed to volunteer work of complaint and advocacy.

However, Pilar Ríos concludes that this dedication to Volunteering is one more obstacle for women to get their full citizenship, doing free work outside the home as well as inside.

We don’t agree completely with this statement because we come from the basis that the dedication of volunteers is throughout and conscious, it is not an impulse for the extension of tasks that are imposed to women’s roles in the public space.

However, association is a step toward public participation and towards awareness of new realities, new knowledge and personal relationships, all things that may lead to empower women to transcend “the four walls” of the domestic arena and limited contact with others outside their family circle or neighborhood.