'Graceful Pillars': Law, Religion, and the Ethics of the 'Daughter Track'
Journal of Law and Religion, July 2016
33 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2016 Last revised: 2 Sep 2016
Date Written: March 23, 2016
Abstract
In this essay, analyzing the “daughter track” of daughter-provided elder care, through feminist philosopher Lisa Tessman’s “burdened virtues” framework, I examine the ethical questions surrounding gender, sacrifice, and elder care on the daughter track, particularly concerning contexts of virtue and necessity. Second, I examine how Tessman’s “burdened virtues” framework applies to the “daughter track” situation, particularly regarding virtues born of necessity. Third, I examine some wider legal and social justice issues that remain unresolved in eldercare provision by daughters. Finally, I conclude with some reflections on the “daughter track” as a law and religion issue and how law, in particular, might better support women in being not only “dutiful daughters,” but “graceful pillars,” in the care of their elders.
Keywords: Law and Religion, Family Law, Feminist Philosophy, Ethics of Care, Eldercare
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation