Women and Cultural Universals: Capabilities Approach

In her work, Women and Cultural Universals, Martha Nussbaum speculates and argues on the topic of women and their rights, focusing on aspects that determine quality of life. Nussbaum takes on a universalist approach in believing that every country should have the same relative rights, or freedoms, for every person in order to live a full and fruitful life. She outlines these freedoms in her “Capabilities Approach” as a list of ten essential capabilities (life, bodily health, bodily integrity, senses, emotions, practical reason, affiliation, other species, play and control over environment) that should be allowed and available for all people in order to thrive. In my opinion, Nussbaum’s list of ten central human capabilities is extensive, yet basic enough that it can be applied to cultures all over the world, thus should be held as basis for standard fundamental human rights.

A main point to consider when addressing Nussbaum’s capabilities approach is the great variance throughout cultures of the world, in which some of the capabilities are just not attainable at all for women of a non-western, more patriarchal society. Does this automatically mean that all the capabilities cannot be applied to everyone? In certain cases yes, and the anti-universalist would highly agree, but I believe Nussbaum’s approach is very successful in summing up principal human rights. In this case, an anti-universalist would find Nussbaum’s approach to be inconsiderate and would consequently accuse her of complete disregard of the differing aspects of unique cultural traditions around the world in where some of the ten capabilities would simply not be an option at all.

I find this anti-universalist objection to be much too superficial; yes, there are significant differences between cultures in the world, but basic human rights are basic human rights, thus I believe regardless of what situation a woman is born into she should be guaranteed, or at least given the opportunity, to have access to all of the ten capabilities Nussbaum identifies.

I do not think that Nussbaum is ignoring the cultural restrictions some women may have, rather she is considering the issue on a much deeper level – a universalist level-  focusing on morality, and humanity as a whole rather than excluding non-western cultures. The ten central capabilities seem basic enough and substantial enough where if someone is lacking one or more capabilities they are truly being deprived of living a full life in which thriving as a person is highly restricted in one way or another.