The Tyranny of Structurelessness

Jo Freeman, writing as Joreen, argues that groups claiming to have no structure inevitably develop informal structures that concentrate power, so the women's liberation movement should formalize its decision-making rather than rely on "structurelessness." The essay says the idea of structurelessness began as a reaction against overstructured society and elitism on the Left, but that it became unquestioned ideology that worked for consciousness-raising groups and failed when they took on specific tasks. It states that informal networks of friends act as elites that are hard to see and hard to break, and that making rules explicit and open to all is the way to limit them.