Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property at the specific exclusion of women, at least to a large degree.

An alternative definition would be that, in the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage and descent is reckoned exclusively through the male line, sometimes to the point where significantly more distant male relatives take presidence over female relatives.

The female alternative is matriarchy.

Historically, patriarchy has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, and economic organization of a range of different cultures. Analysis of patriarchy and its effects is a major topic within the social sciences and humanities.

Etymology and usage

Patriarchy literally means "the rule of the father" and comes from the Greek πατριάρχης (patriarkhēs), "father of a race" or "chief of a race, patriarch", which is a compound of πατριά (patria), "lineage, descent" (from πατήρ patēr, "father") and ἄρχω (arkhō), "I rule".

Patriarchy (book)

Patriarchy is a book written in 2007 by V. Geetha, an academic activist and writer on the subject of patriarchy in India. Patriarchy, written from the female perspective, is part of the "Theorizing Feminism" series published by Stree, which is an imprint of Bhatkal and Sen. There have been three different editions published.

Background

In India, patriarchy is used to disrupt women's lives. According to the author, "Sexual violence has been blamed on a patriarchal backlash where the term patriarchy is often synonymous with tradition.Feminism has a long tradition of examining the concept of patriarchy". This book attempts to demonstrate that the nature, effect, and meanings of male authority and power can only be understood through the idea of patriarchy.

Description

Patriarchy introduces readers to the key concepts in feminist theory involving patriarchy. Geetha has stated that, "The book does not propound a theory of patriarchy; rather, it points to those areas of reality and traditions of knowledge that we might need to draw upon to define patriarchy. It indicates the need for theory-making, and shows how this may be done. Its intent is fundamentally peogical and is a beginners' text to help the reader consider patriarchy in all its aspects."

Patriarchy (disambiguation)

Patriarchy is the structuring of a society under male leaders.

Patriarchy may also refer to:

See also