Right-Wing Women: The Politics of Domesticated Females

by Andrea Dworkin

What does the Right offer to women? How does the Right mobilize women? Why is the Right succeeding in opposing women's rights? With the stark precision and forceful passion that characterize all of her work, Andrea Dworkin answers these timely questions. And by providing the first clear analysis of the impact on women of the Right's position on abortion, homosexuality, anti-Semitism, female poverty, and antifeminism, she demonstrates how the Right attempts both to exploit and to quiet women's deepest fears.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy, Theory, Gender, History

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Andrea Rita Dworkin was an American radical feminist and writer best known for her criticism of pornography, which she argued was linked to rape and other forms of violence against women.

An anti-war activist and anarchist in the late 1960s, Dworkin wrote 10 books on radical feminist theory and practice. During the late 1970s and the 1980s, she gained national fame as a spokeswoman for the feminist anti-pornography movement, and for her writing on pornography and sexuality, particularly in Pornography - Men Possessing Women (1981) and Intercourse (1987), which remain her two most widely known books.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give this book 10 stars? No? Bummer...

One word sums up this book: BRUTAL.

There's a lot of discussion amongst radical feminists about "following a thought to its logical conclusion." This means not stopping when an idea steps on PC toes or becomes uncomfortable - or downright dangerous - either personally or to the sex-class system at large (which obviously BECOMES personally dangerous for individual women.) Dworkin's book is radical - "to the root" - in every single sentence, possibly every single word. I was floored - I think I underlined about 25% of the book. Also, her writing style is dense but totally readable, which I appreciate.

Here's a sample - see if you can stomach it: "...The fate of every individual woman - no matter what her politics, character, values, qualities - is tied to the fate of all women whether she likes it or not. ... Subordinate to men, sexually colonized in a sexual system of dominance and submission, denied rights on the basis of sex, historically chattel, generally considered biologically inferior, confined to sex and reproduction: this is the general description of the social environment in which all women live."

Speak it, sister.

[Meike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written more than 40 years ago, and it's very timely. *sigh* While feminism has come a long way and the conversation has evolved, it's still worth pondering Dworkin's ideas, because she was a sharp thinker and a passionate fighter for gender equality. Sure, her fierce style that is frequently blind to nuance tends to be problematic, but it's also true that Dworkin was an angry lesbian who wasn't conventionally attractive, and loud women not considered fuckable are a prime target of the patriarchy - and Dworkin had to face all the might, violence, and cynicism of that system. So let's stand with comrade Dworkin for a second, as she does with right-wing women, because yes, this writer empathizes with women who support a movement that wants to keep women down. Why, you ask? Dworkin argues: "Feminists, from a base of powerlessness, want to destroy that power (she means male power over women); right-wing women, from a base of powerlessness, the same base, accommodate to that power because quite simply they see no way out from under."

That's dire, but there's something to it: There are women aiming to thrive withing the patriarchy, because they don't think it can be dismantled anyway. So Dworkin defines right-wing women as "women who accept the legitimacy of sex hierarchy, male authority, and women as property in any way, no matter what they call themselves." Of course she doesn't think these women are correct, but she does not dismiss them as morally rotten people and rather tries to psychologically understand their motivations. The book starts out with the promise of the ultra-right - to protect women if they play by the rules -, and goes on to show what happened to women who dared to challenge the system, thus illustrating how right-wing women are thinking. Dworkin also depicts the price they are paying, which underlines that the system is designed in a way that it's impossible for a woman to win, no matter whether she resists or submits.

One of her examples is Anita Bryant, a woman who suffered severe abuse by her husband while publicly promoting ultra conservative standpoints. I was also intrigued by Dworkin's analysis of the hippie movement: She claims that sexual liberation, while doing a lot of good for women, also pressured some women into being promiscuous so they wouldn't be called square or bourgeois, thus providing easy access to sex for men and ultimately not fighting, but helping the patriarchy. I've never looked at it like that, but I'm sure that in quite a few cases, there's truth to that. In another chapter, Dworkin argues that right-wing women support marriage because it offers them social protection at the cost of being available to the sexual whims of one man, while they maintain that prostitution needs to be fought because it makes women available to the sexual whims of many men but offers no social protection. This attitude is rooted in fear and desperation, and I've heard quite some 21st century political statements permeated with it.

I applaud Dworkin for trying to understand the thinking of those who oppose her and whom she opposes, because this effort is the only way to build a bridge and find common ground. While I strongly disagree with a lot of Dworkin's viewpoints, this important move towards empathy seems to have been largely lost in third-wave feminism, where many revel in declaring Enemy Feminisms: TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation so they can revel in narcissistic moral superiority. There's nothing better for the patriarchy than women being busy scratching each other's eyes out instead of questioning the status quo together, or at least as jointly as possible.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am 64 - this book brought my mother's generation to me in compassionate and world-view-changing ways back when it first came out. Dworkin's respectful and insightful take on the innately sexual politics of conservative women has proved prescient and sadly, all too relevant still.

please click the amazon link for reviews-this book's exploration of the mind-set and politics of right-wing women is still expanding the understanding of those who truly care about all women. That's what Andrea Dworkin was - that's why she saw and named what so many others could not. The compassion at the heart of her vision is a challenge to us all.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrea Dworkin gets such a bad rap among (some) feminists and anti-feminists alike that I was slightly wary to actually go out and find one of her books. But, in an attempt to figure out what the majority of my female relatives are thinking, I picked this up. And it was damn worth it.

Firstly...did I agree with her on everything? No. I do not, for instance, consider pornography to be a base cause of anything, or even one of the biggest problems women face in society. I did, however, agree with her on a lot of what she said. Also, there were certainly sections of the book (the "men hate intelligence in women" chapter) which were probably far more applicable a generation or several ago than they are now, though I'm sure there are men today to whom this applies (*coughJohnCarrollconservativescough*).

Oh, and the writing is amazing.

Also, I read this in conjunction with Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards' Manifesta, in which they succinctly explain that no, Dworkin did not believe all sex was rape. While I have yet to read the book which gave way to that myth (Intercourse), this was important to see. I've heard far too many people, feminists and antis alike, saying this. Also, the other "weird thing" about Dworkin which always gets pointed out, her relationship with John Stoltenberg...why do people care so much if she said she was queer but was in love with a (also queer) man? "She said she was a lesbian but married a man" is what is constantly pointed out as why she was a little "crazy," but it's not like there's a law that a person has to declare their sexual orientation and never deviate...it's not like there's a law that people can't sometimes be attracted to people, not genitals. Just a thought.

[Travisalbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book that I would recommend to anyone who is critical of radical feminism. There are lots of assertions that are not argued through and most of the book is written in extremes. However, this is a very valuable book for left-wing folks. Dworkin is brutally honest about the chauvanism prevelent in the left, and why the program of the right is more appealing to oppressed women than the program (or rather hodge-podge of ill-defined ideas)of the left. Whether consious or not, the attitude toward sex among the political left is isolating women from their movements. To sum up, I enjoyed it, but as I read, I was thinking about all of the people who I wouldn't dare recommend it to.

[Gabrielė Bužinskaitė · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a thought-provoking, straightforward, and emotionally heavy read. It offers a valuable critique on sex-“freedom”-obsessed left and explains why some women pick right-wing ideology instead. In short, they do it to protect themselves.

Even though I loved the author’s strong opinions and merciless conclusions, she offered too little evidence to support them. Also, it feels partly outdated reading it in 2023—forty years have passed since the book was published. Although many fundamental issues regarding women’s experience have not changed, many laws she criticises did.

Currently, we see more women promoting “traditional values” in both online and political settings. Although extremely harsh in language and beliefs, this book explains why it is the lesser evil of choice for many.

“They know too that the Left has nothing better to offer: leftist men also want wives and whores; leftist men value whores too much and wives too little. Right-wing women are not wrong. They fear that the Left, in stressing impersonal sex and promiscuity as values, will make them more vulnerable to male sexual aggression, and that they will be despised for not liking it. They are not wrong.”

[Menger Sponge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a couple years ago and it changed my life. Dworkin retains such compassion for all women, even those who fight vehemently against our own rights. Her voice is strong and courageous, and the anger she feels towards the oppression of women is inspiring.

[CJ]

Oh Andrea we're really in it now.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me understand the psychology of right-wing women a little and the theories of Andrea Dworkin a lot. The writing is really, really good and persuasive even if I find Dworkin's ideas a bit... pessimistic. This is a mostly-accessible read that I would recommend to someone who wanted to read about radical feminism.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

AAAAAH !!! Enfin fini !!! Plus de 5 mois pour venir à bout de ce monument du féminisme. Un monument parce que c’est : dense et long, mais aussi super important et éducatif.
J’ai appris énormément de choses et j’ai beaucoup exercé mon esprit critique. C’était super, mais un peu fatigant. Je regrette une chose et elle est sur la forme : je trouve le format du livre peu pratique et la mise en page très perfectible.
Food for thought, definitely!

[Sass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un essai indispensable pour toutes les femmes

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was especially hostile to Dworkin's POV when I first read this but I've come a long way. I don't agree with some of her most controversial statements on religion, marriage and abortion. But I'm not a "right-wing" woman neither politically, nor as per this book's definition.

She has some points that are good to remember, especially as you get on the structure of the right in the United States. Her constant allusions to the far right and omissions of libertarianism were strange to witness, though I'm pretty sure she'd have classified Rand as complacent with male supremacy (after all, she was).

Most interesting chapters were the first three and the last two. Her chapter on Jews and homosexuals has purposefully misrepresented Christianity by giving word to fundies and Mormons, which is really sad. I still don't understand how, after saying that abortion could scar a woman, she still advocated it, and more in the face of the "coming gynocide", which had too much accuracy even when she didn't exactly envision euthanasia or transgenderism: acceptance of prostitution, IVF and surrogacy, female feticide, were there.

She was fatalistic and angry, but most importantly I liked her recognition that lesbianism is not necessarily a way out, that feminism still has a lot of work to do, even for these women who find the movement morally reprehensible or misguided. This is something you rarely see in the current political climate. Maybe there are things to be learned from Dworkin.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dworkin isn’t my favorite feminist icon for various reasons but she really does hit the nail on the head in a lot of her writings so I find it sad that many people my age interested in feminist thought and ideas skip over her. This book in particular does a really good job of illuminating how misogyny exists on both the right and left of the political spectrum. Dworkin theorizes that right wing women choose the right because they are more attune to the sexism on the left, which can seem subtle but is also glaringly obvious in many ways. I found myself nodding a lot and thinking “yep this makes sense,” at a lot of the passages.

[jocelyn • coolgalreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh yes this was good

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally finished my first Andrea Dworkin book!
Her writing is as good as I'd heard about. She writes with a lot of emotion and expertise, and perfectly balances anecdotes with her critical theories on feminism, male dominance and religious or right-wing women.
Her analysis of right-wing women and their relationship with the men around them is enlightening. Though I did not agree with everything, this book, which has arguably had a significant influence on the early feminist movement in the United States was a pleasure (and sometimes painful) to read.

One of her quotes which resonated with me the most was the following;
"This is not a liberal mandate to ignore what is cruel, despicable, or stupid in women, nor is it a mandate to ignore dangerous political ideas or allegiances of women. This does not mean women first, women best, women only. It does mean that the fate of every individual woman – no matter what her politics, character, values, qualities – is tied to the fate of all women whether she likes it or not."

Especially in light of the political divide on the topic of abortion which came up recently in the United States, I think this is something important to remember. Whether we like it or not, our fate is intertwined with that of all women. A sentiment repeated in Audre Lorde's famous quote: "I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own. And I am not free as long as one person of Color remains chained. Nor is anyone of you."

Finally, her last few lines hit home and hit hard, "The freedom of women from sex oppression either matters or it does not; it is either essential or it is not. Decide one more time."

[Мурка Ленина · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is essential reading for all American women, especially in today's political climate. Critiques both the right and left in its exploitation of women.

[sheereen · Rating 4 out of 5]

she always eats 🙂‍↕️

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book. The chapters that I enjoyed the most were towards the end, 'the coming gynocide' and 'antifeminism'. Particularly in these chapters, Dworkin really explores the systematic oppression that women face. By exposing the welfare system, abortion laws and sterilisation in the US which all serve the purpose of population control in favour of white middle class women, she undeniably refutes the myth that equality between women and men ended with the Equal Rights Amendment. I also loved her exploration of the different types of antifeminism which pervade political discourse and threaten feminism. Particularly relevant today, with the resurgence of the figure of the tradwife, was her discussion of the 'separate but equal' antifeminism. The idea that women are innately different to men must imply their inferiority and oppression- this kind of rhetoric is dangerous to any actual feminist movement. It also resonates in the widely popular liberal choice feminism, which is also really antifeminist, serving male interests and refusing to acknowledge the system of Class-sex oppression which must be abolished for any meaningful change.
Overall, her argument is about the right wing women that so many liberals struggle to understand. Dworkin argues that it is these women's perception of sex-based oppression that draws them to ideas of homemaking, family and 'traditional values'. She argues that the prostitute and the wife are implicitly connected- both are forced to live on male terms in a male society, and both are used sexually and exploited. The only difference is, the housewife is at least promised safety from other men, economic stability etc. (although this is often not the case).

[Lingli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in the 1980s and in is mainly based on the US system back then, which you need to take into account when reading this book. I find the book quite truthful overall, with some most 'radical' points that I don't really agree with such as that all intercourse and pornography is bad, but the author writes with such passion and decisiveness that it is infectious. The last chapter was a bit too much of the same though, so that could be skipped. Overall this book is very ahead of its time, saying things that are painful to say but (in my opinion) are mostly true. She writes very compelling. I expected a rip on right-wing women, but in the end it is more of a defense why right wing women are who they are, noting that this is just a symptom to a bigger problem: patriarchy.

[Nalim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An examination of women's reasons for collaborating with men for the limitation of women's freedom. - Dworkin asked, "Why do right-wing women agitate for their own subordination? How does the Right, controlled by men, enlist their participation and loyalty? And why do right-wing women truly hate the feminist struggle for equality?

[Bilge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m genuinely moved by Dworkin’s books. There is something in her writing that acknowledges my fears and validates my anger. Even though I don’t share all of her views, I’m always impressed by how she skillfully builds her arguments and express them with such ease.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Dworkin. The book consists of six essays written at the the end of the 70s beginning of the 80s: The Promise of The Ultra-Right; The Politics of Intelligence; Abortion; Jews and Homosexuals; The Coming Gynocide; Antifeminism. Dworkin's insights can be brilliant but at the same time she can be too emotional, as if she is taking things personally, and a bit too repetitive. This makes her arguments not as clear as they could be. Also, it was noticeable for me that the book is a bit dated, although that in a way shows that some of Dworkin's ideas have been incorporated by other feminists I've read before and also into popular culture. Some essays are better than the others and my favorite was Antifeminism.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

So over the top, and I would have liked a bit more evidence for some of the conclusions she draws. That said, there are many parts of the book that speak to the experience of many women, which is why I think it is so highly rated. And it is refreshing to hear someone speak so frankly (read:strongly) about their own experience and the issues surrounding it.

[Jehona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Right in every sense! Most of it is true beyond America. I just couldn't put it down.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exhausting, enlightening, enraging, and too timely to have been written in 1983.

Right-Wing Women takes a good, hard look at why women align themselves with conservative politics in America, what they gain from the alignment, and what it could mean for the future of the GOP and women's’ rights.

As I currently live in that future Dworkin spoke of, and with this book’s republication in 2025, I just would like to scream into the void - but the void of understanding. Of frustration that many things have not improved.

Dworkin’s thesis statement boils down to women choosing to belong to one man (Right) vs fight for equality and protection (Left). She examines this idea through 5 Chapters:
- The politics of Intelligence
- Abortion
- Jews and Homosexuals
- The Coming Gynocide
- Antifeminism

So much of the ‘Abortion’ chapter rings frustratingly true to this day, and it was by far my favorite of Dworkin’s arguments.

As someone who is not religious nor do I care what the Bible has to say about anything, the ‘Jews and Homosexuals’ chapter lost me a bit with its scripture analysis, but it was a well thought-out argument, nonetheless.

I also really enjoyed the ‘Antifeminism’ chapter, even if I spent most of it enraged at how far antifeminism has entrenched itself in everything, even if it’s subtle.

I just…I do recommend this book, but it’s heavy and I suggest taking your time with it. It’s so exhausting to know so little has changed in nearly 40 years, but it’s also very important as a feminist to know that so little has changed and that the Right has a death grip on the women in its base that no amount of logic from the Left can get through.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

#BabysFirstDworkin

I read a lot of soft garbage on my holiday, so I was ready to kick it up a notch with some political theory. I've also spent the past year reading plenty of libfem, so it was time to throw a little radfem in the mix. I'd never read Dworkin before, but with the release of "Hot Slit" having her make a soft comeback of sorts, I was ready to dive in.

And WHEW. LADS.

This is the type of moonbat shit I live for. Looney liberalism of the ultimate pedigree.
I know Dworkin veers toward hyperbole for the sake of shock value, but this is the kind of stuff that would make a college professor say, "Chill."

So basically what I'm getting from this book is that Dworkin was a female incel who viewed men through the most conspiratorial lens possible. I mean, she's fantastic - and quite possibly the only person who could make Anita Bryant and Phyllis Schlafly sympathetic - but this gal is PAR-A-NOID.

It's maddening, but Dworkin represents that kind of hard-lined principled shit that you just don't see in public intellectuals anymore. The type of vehement misandry that makes radfems so appealing (to a certain subset of people).


Kind of like with Paglia, I disagree with nearly *everything* (I mean, "cocksucking is cannibalism" and "all P in V sex is rape" is certainly not a hill I wanna die on) but boy oh boy am I having a ball watching her burning down those strawmen.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiosity made me open this book: a psychological analysis from the opposite perspective is a very tempting premise to me. I was already familiar with her thought, so it did not come as a surprise that I found myself agreeing with her diagnoses. What separates me from her is the lens she occupies, from which her conclusions arise.


Dworkin very convincingly lays out the condition that shapes women's lives in the first essay, 'The Promise of the Ultra-Right'. At some point she presents the notion that women strive to fulfill male narratives willingly in order to have meaning. This for them, she says, is the only way to have meaning (without which life is unbearable, she admits), as it requires free choice. Dworkin does not offer an alternative source of meaning (though perhaps she seeks to establish it when women do have the full freedom she desires for them) - If anything, her analysis depends on the stripping of meaning.

In the second, 'Abortion', Dworkin writes how power is reinforced in intercourse, how it necessitates force, and provides a strong critique of the leftist movements that promised the sexual revolution as woman's liberation. She emphasizes that a separation between intercourse and reproduction will not liberate women. Instead, she later argues in 'The coming Gynocide', such a separation will end up serving men in the total subjugation of women, explaining her opposition to reproductive technologies. Additionally, she argues that exceptions for rape and incest in abortion laws serve to convene men, not women, which stood out to me.

A strange inclusion is the fourth essay, 'Jews and Homosexuals', which seems to undermine all surrounding work with its unseriousness. The main part contains a highly speculative biblical exegesis (put kindly) that could only be cooked up by someone of Dworkin's background and biases, with a cheaply Freudian interpretation of Paul. The whole essay reeks of ressentiment.

The sixth and final essay, 'Antifeminism', equates opposition to the feminist movement with woman-hating, and makes clear that, in the radical feminist lense, no concession may be made ("... it is the all-male structure itself that must be subverted and destroyed"). Furthermore, it is refusing to accept the sex-class system as the origin of the abuses women face that will prevent their end. I suppose that does address my view that such inequalities are not expressions of a fundamentally malicious harmonious platonic ideal, but rather distortions of it. But this framework cannot be true for Dworkin. Order must be ontologically evil; love must be violence.
I did enjoy her descriptions of various models of antifeminism (separate-but-equal, woman-superior and male-dominant) as fair critique.


When describing the condition women live under, the analysis is (nearly) bioessentialist. Little distinction is made between how intercourse functions under our social conditions and its teleological nature: the man-woman dynamic inherently falls into subjugation of the feminine. Yet feminism, according to her definition, can only have as its goal the complete abolition of all expressions of this dynamic, a total sterility of reality. She herself cannot convincingly argue that this is possible, certainly not after first establishing its inevitability, and at the end of the last essay (spoiler!) she herself does not hide this. Throughout this book she credits right wing women with making the most materially reasonable choice, albeit cynically framed.

This illustrates to me that at the basis of this train of thought lies a refusal to believe in the possibility of the Good, of the Harmonious, of Meaning- as her analysis requires these to obtain the conclusions she presents. The conclusions have no solution for the individual woman beyond a vague fantasy of a world of freedom and full personhood, no real solution but bitterness.

[Breann Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

never have i agreed and disagreed with one sentence to the next so many times as i did in this book. some pages, you’re like… what is this, in the next you’re like oh this is life changing reframing of the social context in which i live. much to consider

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both enlightening and depressing. Worth the read.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered why right-wing women give away their rights and how their antifeminism forms then this book is for you

10/10