CFP: Philosophical Perspectives on Parenthood and Gender

Parenthood remains a deeply gendered social institution, while at the same time undergoing significant change and innovation. New debates around parental leave are challenging traditional divisions of care; the social meaning of fatherhood is changing; reproductive technologies are challenging established understandings of the biological and social foundations of parenthood; and new forms of family life are creating ways of raising children beyond traditional gender roles 
The relationship between parenthood and gender is therefore an area of significant political tension, but it also raises deeper philosophical questions that remain to be addressed. This conference aims to bring together current philosophical perspectives on parenthood and gender, addressing both foundational questions and more practical and applied issues. 

Possible questions include, but are not limited to: 

1. Care, work and distributive justice 

• Should the distribution of parental care work (including emotional labour) become more gender-neutral? 
• What parental leave policies could promote a just distribution of care work? 
• How should liberal states respond to gendered distributions of care within households? 

2. Gendered rights and responsibilities 

• Should gender play a role in the distribution of parental rights and responsibilities? 
• Can biological differences between parents provide a legitimate basis for assigning different parental rights or responsibilities? 
• Should biological mothers and/or fathers be able to opt out of parenthood? 

3. Gender, identity and the meaning of parenthood 

• Do we need the categories of “mother” and “father”, or should parenthood be understood primarily as a gender-neutral role? 
• Do children have a right not to be deliberately socialised into traditional gender roles? 

4. Gender and diverse family forms 

• How should non-binary parents be understood within existing concepts of parenthood? 
• How do queer families challenge or reproduce traditional gender roles? 
• What happens to gendered understandings of parenthood in families with same-sex parents, trans parents, or more than two parents? 
• What should legal and social institutions look like if parenthood is not organised around traditional gender roles?   

We welcome contributions addressing these or related questions from political philosophy, feminist philosophy, philosophy of law, ethics, social and political theory, and related fields. 

Practical Information 

The conference is organised within the SNF project: Just Parenthood. The Ethics and Politics of Childrearing in the 21st Century. 

The conference will take place at the University of Basel, Switzerland, on 4-5 February 2027. We are pleased to confirm Elizabeth Brake (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Anca Gheaus (Central European University) as keynote speakers. We will select 5-6 contributed papers. Each selected speaker will have a one-hour slot, including presentation and discussion. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the organisers. 

To submit a proposal, please complete both the anonymous abstract submission form (max 300 words) and the contact details form below. Please make sure that your abstract does not contain your name, affiliation, or any other identifying information. Make also sure that the title is exactly the same in both forms so that your submission and your contact details can be matched after anonymised selection. 

Anonymous Abstract Submission here 

Contact Details here 

The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2026. Accepted speakers will be notified by October 21, 2026. Further information about the programme and practical arrangements will be provided to selected speakers. 

Looking forward to your participation! 

All the best, 

Sabine Hohl, Francesca Miccoli, Johanna Rensing