Anarchist Feminism Vs. Cultural Feminism

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Anarchist Feminism vs. Cultural Feminism Women have turned to many different forms of feminism throughout history in their search for freedom and equality. Although many of the goals are similar, if not the same, the means by which different feminist groups reach their goals is often very different. In this essay I will compare and contrast Anarchist Feminism and Cultural Feminism discussing their different ideas of the ideal society and the issues which are important to each theory.

Anarchist Feminism is a fairly radical feminist school of thought which challenges hierarchy, authority and "the logic of domination". Anarchist Feminists feel that any form of hierarchy, be it government, work or social is detrimental to everyone's freedom and self esteem, especially women's. "We want to show that these structured hierarchies in fact underlie dominance and subordination in the broadest sense: the dominance of higher class over lower, of male over female, of adult over child, of white over nonwhite, of human over non-human."

(Addelson p.336) The word anarchist comes from archon meaning ruler and the addition of the prefix "an" meaning without. Therefore, logic follows that the first thing anarchist feminists want to get rid of is state. They believe all forms of government are based on coercion and violent power over people. They also want to reject capitalism because they feel it forces us into a kind of slavery where we must work for the profit of others in order to survive. In an ideal anarchist feminist society, everyone would work to meet their own needs which they feel is the most meaningful kind of work. Everyone would be self-sufficient and there would be no monetary value. This type of society may create a free-rider problem, where some do nothing and benefit from the work of others but this problem...