Libertarian Feminism 101

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Not sure what we mean by “libertarian feminism”? Here are a few links to get you started:

‘The State Has Been One of the Largest Perpetrators of Gender Inequality and Violence‘: Podcast
Feminists for Liberty’s Kat Murti talks to Reason about why libertarianism isn’t just for privileged white dudes.

Libertarian Feminism: An Honorable Tradition
Sharon Presley, president of the Association of Libertarian Feminists, provides a brief history of the libertarian roots of feminism.

“Individualist Feminism: The Lost Tradition”
“Individualist feminism is not merely a position on affirmative action or civil liberties,” writes Wendy McElroy. “It is a comprehensive, integrated system of beliefs concerning women’s relationship to society” with “a deep, rich history that significantly influenced the status of women in the nineteenth century.”

How is Libertarian Feminism Different from Other Feminisms?
There are many different branches of feminism, writes Sharon Presley. Libertarian feminism is distinguished most importantly by its suspicion of the state.

Carceral Feminism and the Libertarian Alternative
Many feminists call for un-libertarian laws. The best response is not to abandon feminism, but to build a libertarian alternative.

Libertarian Feminism as a Bifocal (Analytical) Lens
Libertarian feminism can help one see the dangers of patriarchy and the futility of statist intervention at once.

What Does Libertarian Feminism Look Like?
Feminists for Liberty’s Elizabeth Nolan Brown joins the Free Thoughts podcast for a discussion on libertarianism and women. What does libertarian feminism look like? How does libertarianism appeal to women?

Libertarian Feminism in Britain
In 1987, the British Association of Libertarian Feminists and Britain’s Libertarian Alliance published a pamphlet challenging many of the same ideas that we confront as libertarian feminists today. In it, authors Johanna Faust of the British Association of Libertarian Feminists and Chris R. Tame, founder of the free-market and civil-liberties oriented think tank The Libertarian Alliance, note that “a number of women libertarians constituted some of the principal intellectuals and activists of the 20th century [American] libertarian movement” and provide an overview of their contributions.

Feminism and Liberty’s Emancipation Sequence
Feminism is part of an interlocking family of movements aimed at human liberation, explains Mikayla Novak. See also Novak on domestic labor (“Household Production: A Libertarian Feminist Perspective“) and transgender rights (“The Condition of Transgender Women: Libertarian Perspectives“).

Freedom Personified: The Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley
Mikayla Novak reviews Charlotte Gordon’s book Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. Many libertarians take philosophical inspiration from the works of eighteenth‑century libertarian feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, notes Novak, and they may have delighted in the fictional works of her daughter Mary Shelley. But few may be aware of the struggles they themselves faced during their quest to achieve dignified and flourishing lives.

Freedom and Feminism
Anyone who cares about freedom should oppose both public and private forms of oppression, writes Jessica Flanigan. This is why libertarians should be feminists and why feminists should be libertarians.

Markets Deliver Social Justice Better Than Government Does
Elizabeth Nolan Brown argues in The New York Times that we can thank “feminism, but also free markets” for cultural change.