Parity of Participation and the Politics of Status

Over the past decade, Nancy Fraser has developed a highly sophisticated theory of social justice. At its heart lies the principle of parity of participation, according to which social arrangements must 'permit all (adult) members of society to interact with one another as peers.' The aim of this paper is to see whether it is possible to determine how this principle should be applied and what measures it may entail in practice. We limit our attentions to the contemporary status order, and ask two specific questions. First: is it possible to infer from this principle a precise account of how the status order might need to be ordered for parity of participation to be realized? Second: is it possible to infer from the principle a detailed and coherent political strategy capable of achieving such parity within the status order? Our argument will be that, in light of what we shall call the horizontal complexity and vertical complexity of the status order, it is extremely difficult - and may be impossible - to ascertain what participatory parity will require in particular circumstances. Moreover, acknowledgement of the complexity of the status order undermines central aspects of Fraser's political strategy