ABSTRACT
Many women's decisions to comply with cultural practices such as veiling or wearing makeup can, be seen as forms of "bargaining with patriarchy" rather than living as prisoners or dupes of patriarchy. Feminists have correctly insisted that patriarchal structures not only pose serious external obstacles to the life options available to women. Acknowledging that women's responses to patriarchal cultural practices involve constraints on choices, but also choice within constraints, makes a difference to the kinds of state policies feminists ought to support. Veiling happens to be one example Marilyn Friedman cites of a practice she would like to protect on grounds of respect for women's procedural autonomy. The philosophical literature on autonomy reveals that although it is a widely used and widely relied on notion, the range of meaning ascribed to it is enormous. The history of state-driven attempts to ban veiling in a number of countries shows that the motives and effects of the policies are deeply problematic.
