On the possibility of an ethical heterosexual love relationship: A critical exploration of Luce Irigaray's ethics of sexual difference

• Main Author: Domingo, Rosallia Mendoza
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3788
• Institution: De La Salle University

The emphasis of my paper is on women's oppression particularly on the problem posed by traditional heterosexual love relationship to women. This study hopes to answer issues of gender oppression by exploring the problem posed by traditional love relationship as laid out by Irigaray. By providing an analysis on Irigarays concept of ethical love relationship, I aim to show that it appropriately resolves the problem posed by traditional love relationship and it offers an alternative model for an ethical heterosexual love relationship. In Irigarays terms, an ethical heterosexual love relationship is that which allows for an inter subjectivity of the sexes. Nonetheless, Irigaray believes, the current framework of heterosexual love relationship that we have hinders women from realizing a positive subjectivity, which is necessary in the attainment of an ethical love relationship. Hence, Irigaray aims to offer an alternative heterosexual love framework that would allow for a positive representation of both men and women's subjectivity through an ethics of sexual difference. In this paper, I argue for Irigarays concept of ethical love relationship as an appropriate model in solving the problems posed by the traditional love relationship. This includes establishing her ethics of sexual difference as preferable to separatist and equality feminists perspectives on ending women's oppression, and proving that an ethical heterosexual love relationship is possible despite sexual difference by adopting Irigarays concept of an ethical love relationship.