ABSTRACT
Some cultural differences in modern Western societies caw best be described in terms of the liberalism-communitarianism debate: some societies seem to have a more communitarian understanding of "public" and "private". Other societies interpret such concepts as public and private according to principles of liberalism. The different understandings of the public-private distinction, especially vis-à-vis the conceptions of family life and commercial practices which flow therefrom, provide ample grist for feminist discussion.
