Libertarianism is a philosophy to be liberated from government control, focusing on freedom of choice, self-sufficiency, and individual judgement. Because of this openness, libertarians span many different social circles from the very rich to the very poor, straight, lgbt, and every ethnicity. Some see themselves as conservative while others view themselves as liberal. They can be thought of as very open and very stay out of my world. There is a ruggedness to them – a “I can take care of it and the government can go to hell” attitude. But we don’t live in a world of one person. We live in communities unless you are a lone wolf with a cabin in the middle of nowhere which most of us are not.

In short, if you live in society, you interact with people. Most likely you socialize with women even if it’s just your wife like a certain VP. Women make up about 50% of the US population, yet have to work 2-3 times (or more) harder to get respect. It’s not just some men who look down on women, but some women have been socialized to do the same, though we don’t call it misogyny – it is. Libertarianism at its most fundamental thread is about a person having the freedom to freely make choices without outside interference which goes against the grain of misogyny. A culturally parasitic idea weaved throughout human cultures for centuries.

Given the philosophy behind libertarianism, misogyny doesn’t fit at all. The ingrained hatred of women by some men has bleed into restrictions on women’s lives. Historically, women have been told what jobs we could hold, whom to marry (sometimes with no choice or say in the matter), how to dress, what to read, write or even think. Many women have had their scientific ideas stolen like Ada Lovelace, Rosalind Franklin, or Jocelyn Bell Burnell to name a few. These amazing women had no way to address the injustice at the time. Even warriors of a freer time had their lives stolen when archaeologist discovered the tombs of viking warriors. Recently, it was discovered that a viking warrior’s bones labeled as those of a male individual even though a quick look at the warrior’s hips made it clear the bones belonged to a woman. This was only addressed and set right after DNA tests. Thank you Mrs. Franklin for your work with DNA.

To be libertarian means that you can’t restrict someone if it means taking away their liberty with in reason. Many crimes are not included in the ideals of libertarianism. Restricting a women’s liberty based on her gender is basically un-libertarian. So does this mean being a libertarian means you’re a feminist. If you want to apply pure libertarian theory, then yes it does. Feminism is not about hating men but lifting up everyone. It’s a poorly named philosophy. While feminism has stressed that girls and women have the freedom to choose the course of their lives and live them the way they choose, this idea applies to everyone not just those of the female gender. When society restricts one group, it restricts everyone. Stating that you are feminist doesn’t mean you are libertarian either. It’s not a two way street in that regard. But claiming the description of Libertarian means embracing liberty for all including women in all aspects of our lives – work, home, school and our bodies.