Researcher ORCID Identifier
0009-0000-1919-6099
Graduation Year
2025
Date of Submission
4-2025
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy
Reader 1
Adrienne Martin
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Eva C Pruitt
Abstract
This thesis answers the question: how should we assess whether a family is just or not? I begin by challenging the claim that the traditional family model is a biological inevitability. I provide a brief historical account of family structures from the 1500s through the mid-twentieth century to demonstrate that prevailing notions of the family are social constructions, rather than natural facts. This preliminary analysis sets the stage for the main philosophical project of this thesis: the development of a contractualist framework for assessing familial justice. Building on the work of John Rawls, Susan Moller Okin, T.M. Scanlon, and Jean Hampton, I modify their approaches to fit the unique structure of family life and propose a revised contractualist framework.
From this framework, I derive a set of principles of familial justice, aimed at de-gendering parenting roles, prioritizing children's rights, and fairly distributing the burdens and benefits of caregiving. The thesis concludes with preliminary proposals for implementing these principles through policy reforms, cultural shifts, and practices within everyday life. Reconceptualizing the family as a site subject to principles of justice, rather than as a natural or purely private association, allows for a vision of family structures that are more equitable, supportive, and capable of breaking persistent cycles of inequality.
Recommended Citation
Pruitt, Eva C., "A Theory of Familial Justice" (2025). CMC Senior Theses. 4027.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4027
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
