Many people have heard about feminism and the women's movement for their rights. And the majority understands that the reason for this is the patriarchal foundation of society, which has existed on earth for centuries. I would like to talk about this in this article.
About the concept
First, you must understand the concept itself. So what is patriarchy? The definition says that this is some form of social relations in which a representative of the stronger sex, that is, a man, plays a dominant role in the family and the state. If we consider this concept from the point of view of gender theory, then we can say that this is a form of control over a woman, discrimination on the basis of sex. You can also try to characterize this device with one phrase, which will sound as follows: the dominance of men over women.
A bit of history
Wanting to understand what patriarchy is, it is necessary to plunge a little into the history of this issue. Most scholars are inclined to believe that all existing civilizations were exclusively patriarchal. However, some experts argue that societies from the Neolithic and Paleolithic (and this is 5-7 millennia BC) were generally gender equal. There is also an opinion that the patriarchy was preceded by matriarchy (a social system where women dominated only). But still, most scientists deny this fact, saying only that male dominance is almost a natural phenomenon, which should determine the essence of social relations at all times and in all nations.
By the way, such a philosopher and sociologist as Giddens spoke about this. He believed that there were, of course, differences in dominance, but there had never before been a society where all power belonged to women. However, he immediately tries to soften his opinion somewhat, saying that this all comes from the natural functions of the female sex. Since ladies must bear and give birth to children, looking after them in the first years of life, they become financially and physically dependent on the stronger sex. By the way, Canadian researcher O'Brien also talks about this, arguing that the primary division of labor gave rise to patriarchy as the only possible system for the survival of the clan.
How really?
So what is patriarchy and matriarchy? This is a social system in which either men or women dominate. However, it is not known whether the theories described above are correct, because none of them was officially accepted. One thing is for sure, even at the time of the so-called traditional society, a division of labor was made, which, by the way, turned out to be far from equivalent. The woman was left with a house and a family, as well as everything connected with them. The man was given the outside world with all its charms - creativity, education, culture, domination. And it's pretty hard to argue with that.
Fight
For the sake of truth, it is worth saying that the same trend has persisted to the present. And although most women know what patriarchy is, it’s almost impossible to deal with this system at the moment. The centuries-old traditions of its existence, as well as the power of men, rooted in millennia, to change all this and achieve gender equality today are not only difficult, but also impossible in principle. The first attempts were made by such a female movement as feminism (originally - the movement of suffragists). Today, ladies began to fight not for power, but at least for equality with men (gender theory), realizing that this is a more achievable and close goal.
Areas of distribution
Knowing what patriarchy is, it is worth saying that the power of men is extended to all elements of public life. The representative of the stronger sex is the main one in the family - this trend exists in almost all nations, but only for some - with small reservations. It is also exclusively men in all developed countries that stand at the apparatus of power, women are very rarely and reluctantly allowed into big politics. Most professions, mainly those with a long history, are male: doctor, policeman, etc. The distribution of patriarchy is also facilitated by the model of education. A man must be strong, from early childhood, they are told to boys that everything rests on them. A woman can afford various weaknesses, knowing that a strong male shoulder will always support her.
Church
Church servants know firsthand what patriarchy is. Never has a church in any country been run by a woman. The maximum that they are allowed to be abbesses of monasteries. The dominant positions in the religious sphere belong exclusively to men. And if issues of gender equality have already reached some worldly spheres of life, such as family or politics, then the church in this sense remains completely closed.
In the Orthodox Church, the word "patriarch" denotes the title of a clergyman with the highest church authority. In Russia there is the Moscow (Russian) patriarchy, it belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church - the Russian Orthodox Church, where for the time being the main one is Patriarch Kirill. This is the oldest church in its traditions, which for a long time has occupied leading positions since the days of Kievan Rus. And, for example, in Ukraine there is also another church organization, which arose not so long ago. This is the Kiev Patriarchate, owned by the Ukrainian Patriarchal Church (UOC) with its head - Patriarch Filaret.