Patriarchy

We explain what patriarchy is and some examples of this term. Also, its similarities with matriarchy.

What is patriarchy?

Patriarchy is a social system in which men have determining power over womenboth in the public and private spheres. It is a system that legitimizes male superiority and oppresses women in different aspects of their lives.

Currently, the feminist movement uses the concept of patriarchy to describe women. societies that perpetuate structural inequality between men and women. This unequal system manifests itself through various forms, such as physical, verbal or emotional violence, limitation of opportunities for women, political restrictions or wage inequality.

For several decades, debates have been going on about the use of the term patriarchy to define current societies. Those who oppose feminism criticize the use of the term because it does not take into account the structural inequalities that oppress women. However, the United Nations (UN) recognizes that patriarchy is a system of social domination that is rooted in many cultures around the world and that perpetuates discrimination against women.

Origin of the term: Patriarchy It is a term of Greek origin and means, etymologically, “rule of the parents.” In the 19th century, anthropologists began using this concept to describe certain tribes that had a prominence of male leaders and a paternal line transmission of power and property.

• See also: Patriarchal society

Characteristics of patriarchy

Patriarchy is characterized by the following elements:

• male dominance. Men have control over resources and institutions, and impose their authority over public and private social practices.
• Sexism. It implies the belief in male superiority over women, especially in functions linked to decision-making and the production of resources.
• Gender roles. Different roles, tasks and functions are assigned to each gender, generally placing men as providers and women as reproducers.
• objectification of women. Women are treated as property or objects, leading to gender-based violence, discrimination and sexual harassment.
• power gap. Although there is no restrictive legislation, women's access to spaces of political, economic and social power is limited in practice.
• reproductive control. Women's decision about their own bodies and reproduction is denied.

• Machismo

Examples of patriarchy

Currently, there are elements in different societies around the world that are part of a patriarchal structure. Among them, you can identify:

Economic dependence

patriarchal societies generate economic dependency in women because their autonomy is denied or their access to resources is limited. For example, this happens when women can only access more precarious or lower-paid jobs than men. It also occurs when a woman's salary is lower than that of a man who holds the same position or performs the same tasks.

Besides, It is common for all domestic and parenting tasks to fall on women.without receiving remuneration for this. In many cases, this prevents women from devoting time to their training or professional career.

Some UN data on economic inequality worldwide are:

• In 18 countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working.
• Women do more than twice as much domestic work as men without receiving any type of remuneration.
• 73% of people who do not receive a pension or retirement due to advanced age are women.

Gender violence

In most societies, gender violence is a structural problem. This type of violence can be physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, institutional or symbolic.. Domestic violence and rape are part of this type of aggression, which in patriarchal societies are naturalized or made invisible.

Some UN data on gender violence worldwide are:

• One third of women in the world were victims of sexual or physical violence by someone in their social or family environment.
• Every day more than 130 women die as a result of gender violence.
• There are more than 150 million minor women who suffered sexual assault.

Professional segregation

The concept is used “glass ceiling” to talk about the limits imposed on women in their professional careers. There are few women who access high-level decision-making positions within companies or in political and union organizations.

Many times, there are organizations in which women constitute a majority, although their participation is distributed unequally in senior positions, which are occupied almost exclusively by men.

Female employment is concentrated in lower-paid jobs and informal employment. Furthermore, a large percentage of women occupy lower-ranking roles than those for which they are professionally prepared.

Some UN data on professional limitations for women worldwide are:

• Women are paid 23% less than men for doing work of the same value.
• Only 4% of higher-paying jobs are held by women.
• There are only 67 countries that have laws against gender discrimination in professional hiring practices.

Lack of sexual and reproductive rights

In patriarchal societies, there is an unequal morality regarding the sexual activity of men and women. Besides, Women are prevented from making decisions about their sexual health and are denied access to critical information about contraception.

There are also countries where female genital mutilation is practiced as a cultural tradition and others where women who suffered sexual harassment or rape are forced to marry their perpetrators.

Some UN data on inequality in sexual and reproductive rights worldwide are:

• More than 40% of women cannot decide about their reproductive health, the use of contraceptives or their sexual practices.
• Every year, 12 million underage women are forced by their families to marry.
• 45% of voluntary terminations of pregnancy are carried out illegally or clandestinely.

• It may help you: Feminism

Patriarchy and matriarchy

The concept of matriarchy defines a social system in which power and authority are in the hands of women.. Although it is part of current debates, matriarchal societies did not exist in the same sense in which patriarchal societies are understood.

The historical societies that were studied from anthropology and other social sciences where women had a predominant role were matrilineal societies, that is, certain aspects of power and property were transmitted through the maternal female line, and not through the paternal lineage. However, in these societies men were not oppressed in the same way that women are in patriarchal societies.

The study of some matrilineal societies allows us to identify some common characteristics:

• Administration. The woman is the one in charge of all organizational tasks, from food administration to money, work and physical spaces. However, it is not an imposition, but rather an authority accepted voluntarily and naturally by the members of society.
• central figure. Within the family, the woman is the main figure as advisor or administrator, but her will is not imposed over that of the man neither in the family nor in any other institution.
• Inheritance. The assets that are inherited from one generation to the next remain in the hands of women, who are in charge of taking care of them.

• It may help you: Feminist movement

Definitions of patriarchy in different areas

There are different definitions for the term patriarchy, depending on its scope of use and the elements that you want to highlight. Among the most important definitions are:

1. Definition from sociology. Patriarchy is a social and cultural system in which power and authority are exercised by men, both in the public and private spheres. This system perpetuates gender inequality by privileging men in issues such as access to resources, opportunities and decision-making. In this way, it subordinates women and limits their activity.
2. Definition from feminist studies. Patriarchy is a system of oppression that is based on male domination and female subordination. Inequality manifests itself in different aspects of life, including politics, economics, culture and personal relationships. This system of oppression perpetuates norms and values ​​that reinforce male supremacy and keep women in a position of disadvantage and subordination.
3. Definition from anthropology. Patriarchy is a system of social organization in which authority is concentrated in the hands of men, who monopolize positions of leadership and control in the family, community and society in general. This system is characterized by the patrilineal transmission of name and property.

• women's day
• Activism

References

• Auffret, S. (2020). The great history of feminism. From Antiquity to the present day. The Sphere of Books.
• UN Women. (2017). Women in the changing world of work. Some facts you should know. https://interactive.unwomen.org/
• UN Women. (2021). Women in politics: 2021. https://www.unwomen.org/
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024). Patriarchy. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Varela, N. (2019). Feminism for beginners. Updated edition. Editions B.