Political Liberalism and Marriage

Abstract

This chapter considers whether political liberals can and should recognize and support legal marriage as a matter of basic justice. A general account of how political liberals should evaluate the issue of legal marriage as matter of basic justice is offered. It is argued that, in certain conditions, the recognition of some form of legal marriage may be the best way to protect the fundamental interests of women as equal citizens in freely chosen associations. Or it may be that, in certain conditions, to secure the social conditions necessary for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals to be free and equal citizens, some form of legal marriage can or should be recognized. It is claimed that an underappreciated point about political liberalism is that the particular institutions that are justifiable or required as a matter of basic justice depend in part on the conditions of a particular politically liberal society. political liberalism, public reason, marriage, marriage contracts, sex equality, feminism, polygamy, monogamy