Autonomía en disputa: el cuidado en el marco de las relaciones familiares

Abstract

Heterosexuality has been the hegemonic lifestyle for the past 150 years. The patriarchal normativity channels the desire towards reproduction and organizes the sustainability of life in terms of complementarity (but not reciprocity) between genders. A constrictive normative appears as natural, and the roles of paternity and maternity end up appearing as if they were biologically defined, and forming a hierarchy. Family is the center of reproduction of uneven social relations. This places tension upon the concept of autonomy, especially for women, despite their massive incorporation to public life. In this paper we will examine the notion of autonomy in the context of the demands of care that are imposed to us due to the fact that human beings are physically and psychically vulnerable and mutually dependent, even beyond sexual division of labour. We propose to acknowledge human precariousness as a starting point towards a critical redefinition of the concept of autonomy, and as a practice of political resistance.