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AnetaGawkowska
ratherthatpersonswithinrelations,andpersonshavingnotjustrights
butalsodutiestowardsothers.Inotherwords,thefactofdiscrimination
rightlyunderstoodshowstheantisocialclimateofcontemporarysociety
,
whichdoesnotseemtoperceivetherealityandcontinuityofrelationsas
such.Thispaperaimstoshowtheperspectiveofthegoodofthechild
withintheperspectiveofthecommongoodofsocietyincludingthegood
offamiliesanditsindividualmembers.
JohnPaulIInoticedtheconnectionbetweentheaforementionedreal-
ities.InhislettertoGertrudeMongella,SecretaryGeneraloftheFourth
WorldConferenceonWomenoftheUnitedNationshewrote:“Greater
efortsareneededtoeliminatediscriminationagainstwomeninareasthat
includeeducation,healthcareandemployment.Wherecertaingroupsor
classesaresystematicallyexcludedfromthesegoods,andwherecommu-
nitiesorcountrieslackbasicsocialinfrastructuresandeconomicopportu-
nities,womenandchildrenarethefirsttoexperiencemarginalization.”2
Wemaywonderwhythelotofwomenissooftensocloselyrelatedto
thatofchildren.Partoftheexplanationmaybeprovidedbythesystemic
causementionedearlier:menarenotperceivedasresponsiblefortheir
ofspringasmuchasmothersare,sothesocialarrangementsusuallybur-
denwomenwiththealmostsoleresponsibilityforraisingtheirchildren.
Inotherwords,wecannoteitastheinstitutionalindividualismpaying
apremiumtomen(incorrectlyseenasdisengagedindividualswithout
commitments);individualismwhichthuscausesanti-femaleandanti-
childefectsatthesametime.
Anothercause,thoughpartlyconnectedwiththepreviousone,may
bethefemalegenerallyhighsenseofresponsibilityforthewelfareofthe
childshegavebirthto.Thesenseofresponsibilityitselfdoesnot,ofcourse,
constituteaproblembuttheexclusivewayofattributingthisresponsibil-
itytooneself,ratherthansharingtheresponsibilitywiththefather,may
betheproblem.Anothersideofthisisthatveryoftenitmaybethecase
thatthesocialinstitutionstreatmothersautomaticallyasmorerelatedto
thechildthanthefathersare.However,Iclaimthatpartoftheproblem
maybethewoman’sownwillofdisconnectingthefathersfromchildren,
andattributingthesoleresponsibilityforthechildren.However,whether
thisisthefaultofwomenorthefaultoftheinstitutionalsolutionsover-
burdeningthewomenandfreeingmenfromtheirduties,theproblemis
thatthefemalestrongrelatednesstothechild(orthesocialassumption
ofthisrelatedness)allowsmen(throughtheunjustpolicieslegitimizedby
2JoHNPaUlII:“ItIswithGenuinePleasure”LetterofHisHolinessJohnPaulIIto
Mrs.GertrudeMongellaSecretaryGeneraloftheFourthWorldConferenceonWomenof
theUnitedNations,no.6.