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A Feminist Perspective on Contract Theories from Law and Economics

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Abstract

This article offers a feminist perspective on contract theories in law,economics and law-and-economics. It identifies masculine traits presentcontract theories in all three disciplines. It then describes andassesses some developments that appear to be ‘feminising’: Therecognition of the importance of social norms in contract theory andtheories of contract as relationship. The article's main claim is that amasculine model of decision-making persists even within the less overtlymasculine models of contract. The problem of sexually transmitted debtresulting from a surety contract is analysed in detail as a specificexample supporting the article's general argument. The article concludesthat the way forward is to be found in a recognition of other ways ofmaking decisions.

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Belcher, A. A Feminist Perspective on Contract Theories from Law and Economics. Feminist Legal Studies 8, 29–46 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009259224436

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