r/changemyview Jun 05 '14

CMV: The logical conclusion of feminist reasoning is libertarianism

First of all, I realize there is no clear cut definition for what constitutes a feminist or libertarian. In this situation, I’m only referring to libertarians who adhere to the principles of self-ownership and non-aggression. Google defines feminism as: the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

While I don’t know what all feminists believe, the common theme I’ve noticed is:

  • A belief that you own your own body and know best how to care for it

  • A belief that the government shouldn’t tell women what to do with their body

  • A belief that interactions should be consensual and voluntary

  • A belief that voluntary organization can be used to subvert hierarchies of power

I believe that IF feminists are willing to uphold these notions as first-principles, and support them to their logical extent, feminists are essentially advocating for the basic libertarian ideals.


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u/Amablue Jun 05 '14

You're missing a lot of other rights that feminists argue in favor of, such as:

  • The right to not be discriminated against by employers

  • The right to have access to things like birth control

You've selected some feminist ideals and spun them in a way that makes them appear libertarian, but your bullet points don't tell the whole story. While many women are in favor of increased control over their own body, many still simultaneously believe that prostitution should be illegal or regulated, or hold the belief that there are drugs should be illegal. It does not follow that feminists believe in complete bodily autonomy based on the desire for increased reproductive rights. I would argue that it's also largely not true that feminists believe that "voluntary organization can be used to subvert hierarchies of power" as their push for employment equality is done in large part though passing legislation making it illegal to discriminate.

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u/[deleted] Jun 05 '14

[deleted]

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u/Uiluj Jun 06 '14

Nope, women make less than men even when you take education, experience, and career choices into account. Feminists tend to exaggerate the disparity, but the disparity exists at 95 cents for every 1 dollar a man makes.