What is patriarchy?
Is a patriarchy the same as a society led by men, or is it more, a society led by fear and a feeling of scarcity, that happens to be an environment in which the masculine takes charge?
Patriarchy is the rule of the father, it is a system in which men have all or most of the power and importance in society.
If we look in Wikipedia the definition is:
A patriarchal society is one that has had huge negative effects on both women and men. It is very out of balance, as it focuses only on certain male qualities and In order for men to be seen as successful within the patriarchal society they need be seen as possessing only these qualities.
Patriarchy sees male qualities as being the most important and that everything else is of little or no value. Within Patriarch these qualities are power, control, competitiveness and manipulation. Males are seen as superior to everything and as a result are dominant over women, children and the environment. Exerting control over all.
From a young age many of us would have had patriarchal gender roles assigned to us. Boys are expected to behave in a certain way, not to get emotional 'to be a man about things'. Girls are allowed a lot more emotional freedom, allowed to get upset and even shown more affection. Certainly this is not the way all children are brought up, but not that long ago, certainly when I was a child this was the norm.
I have heard both mothers and fathers tell their son to be a man and toughen up. Or to not be a cry baby. When I went to school girls were always advised to do, Home economics and boys to do Technical drawing. This was seen as the norm, this came from the mouths of both men and women.
In schools they all too readily adopted the male quality of control, which led onto obedience, blind obedience, destroying any individuality or individual willpower. Leaving kids ready for the work force where that blind obedience and culture of being ruled continues.
Girls are seen as weaken then boys and as such need to be protected, this then brings in the defender role for men. Wherein they need to be physically strong and use violence in order to protect. This role of defender though has got very confused during the ages but the acts of violence with Patriarchal society has always remained high. Patriarchal society is very aggressive and violent, towards women, men and the environment.
There is no room for weak emotions, fear is the number one emotion to be exerted and projected within Patriarchy. This fear has led to a society that has been handing their power over to others. Those seen as weaker especially woman and also some men, are controlled, put down or put in their place as we hear too often. But in reality they are not weaker but more seen as a threat.
That culture of fear, leads to greed, wanting more money, more land, more possessions. A culture of excess, of grabbing everything, fearful that all that we need will run out. Seeing women and children as possessions. Resulting in a lack of respect for both and dominance over.
This dominance has led to the very destructive worldview many have over nature. Believing that nature is there for humankind's benefit. Where nature has been used to serve our needs. Giving so many ,what they believe, is the right to destroy and abuse our home and everything in it. Seeing the planet as a place first and foremost for humans and as such ruled by humans.
This Age of Patriarchy has been imposed on humankind for a very long time, it continues to creep into our lives today in such a way that we have grown an acceptance for it. Both men and women are tied into the Patriarchal way of thinking. Well not all of us, but unfortunately the majority seem to have accepted that this is the way that it is meant to be. We only have to look at the educational system, the medical/pharmaceutical world, religion.
Look at how one of the most sacred things we have in the world, Birth is been taken from us and turned into a money making business. Obstetrics is the highest paid medical profession in the world. A woman's body knows how to birth, they do not need a Patriarchal profession interfering, trying to control and introducing fear and doubt.
Look at the rate at which are natural world is disappearing, being destroyed, our forests logged our rivers polluted all for humankind's benefit. All as a result of the growth of the industrial world, all in the name of greed.
As it stands now, a lot of the ruling power rests in the hands of men and with that the Patriarchal rule. But a lot of men suffer with this, leading to some becoming and remaining emotional cripples. In this ruling class they have to be seen as strong, as competent. There is no place for emotional well being. Look at the media, look at how heroes are always portrayed.
Women have suffered so much inequality, aggression, disrespect. Children are not shown any respect, given any choice in how they are raised. This ecoTrain question is huge and the more I thought about it, the more that came up and the more I wanted to write. There is a lot I have not covered, a lot more that could be said, so please tell me me your feelings on this. But the one thing I am sure of is
To end the rule of Patriarchy women and men must work together
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