A bold argument that "equality" is a racist, patriarchal ideal that perpetuates women's systemic oppression and limits the possibilities of feminism, coupled with a plan to transform the feminist movement.
For more than a century, women have been fighting for equal rights and losing. Time and again, our battles for equality fall short, no matter the domain, no matter the issue. Even when "equality" is codified in the law, it is rarely, if ever, enforced. We can blame this failure on the policies that are full of loopholes, and on a justice system that is mechanically reliant on a biased bureaucracy. But the greater problem, the one that stands between women and true progress, is in the notion of equality itself.
In Breaking Free, culture writer Marcie Bianco persuasively argues that the very concept of equality is a fallacy, a misleading ideal that cannot and will not resolve historic forms of discrimination and oppression. Starting with the inception of the ERA and traveling through modern history, she shows us how equality is a patriarchal value designed to keep women and other disenfranchised communities chasing an intangible, unobtainable goal. With the facade of equality dismantled, Bianco goes on to champion a reclamation of freedom to transform the feminist movement.
What happens if we free ourselves of equality? Controversial and thrilling, Breaking Free guides readers toward new hope for the future of the feminist movement.
