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Patriarchy in Society

What is Patriarchy?

• "Patriarchy" (derived from patriarch in Greek) is a term for societies in which male is the favoured gender, and in which men hold power, dominion and privilege.

• Male power in a patriarchy can be found at family, community, social and governmental levels.

• Because patriarchy defines men as the rulers, men's and women's roles are strictly defined and, in a sense, enforced. Women must be seen as inferior, weaker, generally less capable, less intelligent, and less worthy. Their work is equally considered "lower." They are relegated to hearth and home. Cleaning, caring for the family, and serving the husband.

• Critically, the same pressure exists for men to conform to particular roles. One classic example (though not universal by any stretch) is that men must be tough and strong, must not cry, must not back down, must be willing to get into physical altercations to solve problems.

Unfortunately, just like racism, patriarchy still exists, around the world. And just like racism, it often manifests in casual ways that tend to go unnoticed by the majority of people.

And women aren’t the only ones who suffer under this everyday patriarchy. Everyone does. Because patriarchy demands that those in power conform to a specific set of rules — ones that require the suppression of feelings, and include a lack of empathy.

Patriarchy around the world

• For the last 5000 years the global rule of men, or patriarchy, has wreaked havoc and destructive chaos on earth and all her children.

• This grievous fact is hardly noticed by anyone in our species other than those who are victimized by it-women and children.

• And even then, those who suffer at the hands of male rule are often blamed for that which is inflicted upon them.

CAUSES

•Religious: Male dominance is “God given.”•Biological determinist: “Man is the hunter and dominates.”•Marxist theorist Friedrich Engels: Women become men’s “property.”•Anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss: civilizations manage social relations through the “traffic in women” or the “exchange of women.”•19th century theorist, Bachofen hypothesized: Matriarchal society preceded patriarchal society in historical time.•Suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton theorized that “maternalist” or mother centered societies existed in some Native American tribes.

ADVERSE EFFECTS

How many times we try to live a non-patriarchal life, change the deep rooted culture. Just try the following and see why can't century old patriarchal culture old won't change overnight !!

• Share the costs of dating.

• Give up your seat on the bus to an old man.

• Hold the door for a man coming into the building behind you.

• Promote based on pure merit in the workplace.

Challenges

• Raise your daughters to be as brave and physical as they want to be, and your sons to be as sensitive as they want to be.

Stop being opportunist. Stop having the habit of taking the feminist

stance when convenient and non-feminist stance otherwise.

Definition of patriarchy in context of society ?

An arrangement of society where men hold power over women and can inhibit them to do what they

want

Society pressure

• History• Daily Life Example• Lead to Crime - Dowry -Materialism and Patriarchy together causes

rape , harassment and other heinous crime

Action 1: Push for a culture of excellence to hold men/boys accountable for their language and actions where all people can make positive influences on the world. This means countering the “boys will be boys” idea.We shouldn’t discount men and their ability to be upstanding individuals, we just have to keep high expectations.

Action 2: Support a spectrum of ideas of what a “real man” looks like , such as those that are compassionate and responsible. We need to stop holding up “macho” or the “tough, silent type” as the gold standard for maleness.

How to Combat Patriarchy

Action 3: Reframe patriarchy as an issue for everyone (not just “a women’s issue”), since men should take responsibility for altering both themselves and challenging men around them.As bell hooks’ quote from the beginning of this post reminds us, “Patriarchy has no gender,” thus it’s going to take all people to combat it.

Action 4: Teach boys and men how to authentically communicate their emotions and listen empathetically to others. From an early age, many try to encourage boys to “hide their emotions.”So whether you work with kids, have a child, or want to contribute to reducing sexual violence, we need to train males how to express themselves.

PROMOTE EQUALITY

Patriarchy X Equality

1.Dowry Tradition

Much of the discrimination against women arises from India's dowry tradition, where the bride's family gives the groom's family money and/or gifts. Dowries were made illegal in India in 1961, however the law is almost impossible to enforce, and the practice persists for most marriages.

2. Women as a Liability

The Indian constitution grants women equal rights to men, but strong patriarchal traditions persist in many different societal parts, with women's lives shaped by customs that are centuries old.

India's Patriarchal Traditions

3. Discrimination against Women: Before Birth / As an Infant

India is one of the few countries where males outnumber femalesThough “prenatal sex discrimination” was legally banned in 1996, the law is nearly impossible to enforce and is not even familiar to all Indian families. Hence, the preference for a male child persists

4. Widespread domestic violence

Since times immemorial, domestic violence has been an intrinsic part of the society we are living in. The contributing factors could be the desire to gain control over another family member, the desire to exploit someone for personal benefits, the flare to be in a commanding position all the time showcasing one’s supremacy so on and so forth.

CONCLUSIONSPatriarchy is the root of the world's

problems-i.e., war, colonization, rape, sexism, racism, destruction of the

environment, so-called "domestic" violence, terrorism, pornography, sexual slavery, kids

killing kids, fascism, religious fanaticism, and homophobia, to name a few

It is time for all women and men to rise and unite our voices, hearts, and minds to

change and transform that which does not serve life. The patriarchal event in human

history must come to an end.