Justiça Crítica, Gênero e Família

Rafaela Leite

Rafaela Leite Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract

The article aims to investigate whether Gustavo Pereira’s critical theory of justice provides instruments to confront gender inequalities within the family sphere. The research adopts a methodology proper to normative political theory, distinct from the empirical approach. It is grounded in propositions and evaluative judgments about social institutions, employs textual exegesis, and is problem-oriented, examining the normative dimension of a contemporary public issue: gender specialization. The theoretical framework adopted is the model of critical justice formulated by Gustavo Pereira, structured around the telos of autonomy through reciprocal recognition. The central problem analyzed concerns the model’s capacity to address gender specialization, which assigns women caregiving and domestic tasks, perpetuating material and symbolic inequalities and restricting their agency. The conclusion is that the capability metric and the principles of sufficiency and difference allow for the neutralization of adaptive preferences, the support of institutional policies (such as public childcare, equal parental leave, and flexible work arrangements), and the promotion of an egalitarian democratic ethos. It concludes that critical justice provides valuable resources to reconfigure family practices and to foster equality of dignity, provided that gender is recognized as a structural obstacle.

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Author Biography

Rafaela Leite, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Doutora em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Mestra e Graduada em Direito pela Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP). Professora e advogada, com atuação acadêmica no ensino e na pesquisa em Direito Privado, Biodireito, Teoria da Justiça, Gênero e Responsabilidade Civil.

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