Can members of society embrace citizenship without their social rights being upheld?
Nanette Ho, November 2008 Using T. H. Marshall’s (1950) definitions of the civil, social and political elements of citizenship, the first part of this statement, “only if a society upholds the social rights of citizens can members of the society fully exercise their civil and political rights” can be deemed a fair statement. Without providing members of society an appropriate standard of living, they cannot fully utilize the civil and political rights they are entitled to as citizens. It is only when a society upholds the social rights of its members that they can be expected, by definition, to be virtuous and caring citizens- using W. Norman’s and W. Kymlicka’s (2003) definition of citizenship. Defining Social Rights Marshall (1950) defined the social element of citizenship as rights to a suitable standard of living in connection to the welfare and educational system of the society. This ranges from rights “to a modicum of economic welfare and security to the right to share to the ful
