Amish and Australian communities have similarities and differences in regards to communication and power and authority.

These include the differences in authority structures and amount of communication as well as the similarities in particular sects of power and authority such as gender. Authority structures in Amish and Australian cultures differ greatly. In Amish culture, the authority structure is defined by positions in religious leadership with the Bible as the foremost source of authority. The Amish also have the Ordnung, a set of rules for their particular community. An example of this is when there is conflict in the Amish community; it is dealt with within themselves with minimal communication with the English world. In Australian culture, the authority system is more clearly defined with particular positions of authority arranged in a hierarchy from the governor-general to the general public, a hierarchy that is not present in the Amish community because of how they value togetherness. Australia also has a highly structured legal system used to solve conflicts between individuals or between businesses or other organisations. This contrasts the Amishs less structured and private authority structures. Another difference between the two cultures is the amount of communication with other cultures. In Amish communities, social interaction is limited to the family and the surrounding Amish community. Their communication to the world outside of their community is limited to economic connections. On the other end of the spectrum in Australian culture, although personal communication within the community is not as strong as in the Amish communities, the communication with other societies is much stronger. The rise of technology has allowed Australians to communicate and have connections to other societies both virtually and geographically. This strongly contrasts the communication of the Amish partly because of their refusal to utilise modern technology and Australias adoption of technology such as the internet and aircraft to create connections. Australias acceptance of technology also shows the different cultural values between the two cultures. A similarity between the two cultures is the primarily patriarchal authority and power in both. While in Amish culture, the male dominance of the household and community is embraced and emphasised, Australias male dominance in society is much more subconscious. An example of male leadership in the Amish culture is the completely male leadership in the church. This is a tradition and a norm in Amish culture developed from religion. An example of male leadership in Australian culture is the primary male ownership of large businesses which was originally a norm but has become less of one because of the rise of feminism. From these examples we can see that both the Amish and Australian communities live in patriarchal societies though the reactions differ between them. Amish and Australian culture differ in terms of authority structures and amount of communication and are similar in terms of gender roles in power and authority. These

similarities and differences come about as a result of values, technology, religion, tradition and norms.