Have you seen “Barbie”? Learn what patriarchy is and why everyone is talking about it

The movie “Barbie” made headlines with its record-breaking performance at the US box office, taking in $155 million in its first weekend. It’s the biggest opening of the year so far and the biggest opening for a film directed by a woman.

In addition to its commercial success, Greta Gerwig’s film is also attracting high-profile attention for its commentary on the patriarchy . The film is premised on the idea that Barbie and Ken visit the human world where men are in charge and Ken, relishing his treatment in a patriarchal society, tries to transform Barbieland in the same way.

And so Gerwig and her cast of characters, derived from a doll that has long represented an idealized and unattainable beauty, sparked a lively public debate. But what exactly is this patriarchy?

Here’s what you need to know.

What is patriarchy?

Derived from the Greek word patriarkhēs, patriarchy literally means “the rule of the father” and is used to refer to a social system where men control a disproportionately large share of social, economic, political and religious power, and inheritance generally passes through the lineage. male.

Defining patriarchy, renowned American sociologist Allan Johnson wrote: “Patriarchy does not refer to any one man or collection of men, but to a type of society in which both men and women participate […] A society is patriarchal to the extent that it promotes male privilege by being male-dominated, male-identified, and male-centered. It is also organized around an obsession with control and involves as one of its key aspects the oppression of women.”

What are the characteristics of a patriarchal society?

No two patriarchal societies are exactly alike, as cultures and norms are shaped by different factors such as geography, language and religion – and also because the demands and advances made by feminist movements around the world are not identical.

However, the main characteristic of a patriarchal society is that men hold more power and authority, which subsequently leads to male privilege.

Deep-seated biases mean that men hold most leadership positions and control resources in the public and private spheres, while women play a secondary role and are seen as weaker and better suited to domestic work. As such, a woman’s place in a patriarchal society is primarily to be a homemaker, procreator, or caregiver.

This male dominance perpetuates beliefs and practices (cultural norms) that – consciously or unconsciously – favor men over women, and these beliefs are held not only by men, but by most people in that society, whatever their gender.

Recent data from the United Nations Development Program revealed in June that gender biases against women “remain entrenched”, finding that “nearly 9 out of 10 men and women worldwide still hold such biases today”.

The organization’s Social Gender Norms Index report found that “half of people worldwide still believe that men make better political leaders than women, and more than 40% believe that men make better business executives than women. than women”.

In many parts of the world, patriarchal norms mean that girls receive little or no education, may marry early, have little or no control over their bodies (whether through access to contraceptives or abortions) or family income, and will have less access digital than boys.

Even when educational attainment is comparable or girls are doing better in school, patriarchal expectations shape career paths, with women underrepresented in sectors such as science, technology, engineering and math, and overrepresented in nursing, for example. example.

Patriarchies are also characterized by unequal pay for the same work; less research on conditions that disproportionately affect some genders more than others (eg, endometriosis or migraines); a sense of entitlement to sex and pleasure by those who embody more masculine genders; the existence of menstrual poverty, which can affect everyone who menstruates, and the pink tax – where consumer goods aimed at women are more expensive; uneven care loads; women becoming invisible in old age and stereotypes about menopause; and the prevalence and acceptance of violence committed by men: domestic violence, sexual harassment and femicide.

Is patriarchy another term for gender inequality?

Gender inequality – the unequal treatment of someone based solely on their gender – is a result of patriarchal societies, but the terms do not mean the same thing.

Is the USA a patriarchy?

Despite advances toward gender equality that have been gaining momentum for over a century, the United States remains a patriarchal society.

To date, for example, no woman has ever been president of the United States, so ultimate power has always rested with a man.

Data shows that the US lags behind many of its allies around the world when it comes to paid parental leave, maternal health care, teen fertility rates and, increasingly, reproductive rights.

There is also a persistent gender pay gap, with women earning an average of 82 cents for every dollar earned by a man in 2022, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. The data highlights that this gap has barely changed in 20 years and is worse for Indigenous, Asian, Latino and Black women.

Progress towards gender equality is neither linear nor guaranteed. Gains in access to abortion were lost last year (with the repeal of Roe v. Wade), and other gains may also be lost, as there is no provision in the US Constitution that explicitly protects against discrimination on the basis of sex.

The Equal Rights Amendment, first introduced in Congress in 1923, has never been ratified by enough states, although there have been recent efforts to revive it.

Are all societies patriarchal and always have been?

No. They weren’t always.

Writing for the “BBC” network, British science journalist Angela Saini explains that “the deeper we delve into prehistory, the more varied forms of social organization we see”. Referring to archaeological data from Çatalhöyük, in present-day Turkey, described as one of the oldest cities in the world, Saini writes that this was “a settlement in which gender made little difference to the way people lived”.

But there are also such societies in the contemporary world. Previous research has identified at least 160 matrilineal populations that exist today. These are societies where lineage is passed down through the mother. This does not mean, however, that men are discriminated against in matriarchies.

Saini writes: “Often in matrilineal communities, power and influence are shared between women and men. In matrilineal Asante communities in Ghana, leadership is divided between the queen mother and a male chief, whom she helps to select.”

Besides Barbieland, what other societies are matriarchal?

Here are just a few of the matriarchal societies known around the world:

The Minangkabau are the largest known matriarchal society in the world, comprising millions of people living on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. They are matrilineal, tracing descent and inheritance through the female line.

The Bribri are among the oldest surviving matrilineal communities in the world. This indigenous group lives mainly in the Talamanca mountain region of Costa Rica and in 2015 it was estimated that there were 11,500 people in this area, but their culture would be threatened.

There are also the Mosuo in China, the Khasi in India, the Himba in Angola and Namibia and many more. But even social orders do not exist in a binary choice between patriarchy and matriarchy. Of the 1291 populations defined in the 2019 study, 590 were patrilineal. In addition to the matriarchies detailed above, the study also identified five other ways societies decide lineage.

Is patriarchy good for men?

Yes and no. While not granted equally to all men, being designated male at birth into a patriarchal society does bring privileges. But it also comes with expectations, and it is those expectations – that a “manly man” is heterosexual, always strong, shows little emotion, is the provider rather than the caretaker, dominates others, must always be in control – that has led to what it is. popularly called toxic masculinity.

These ideals have consequences, certainly for women (the fact that marital rape is not a crime in many countries, and only became one in all US states in 1993, is just one example), but also for men: studies explored – and has shown – a connection between patriarchy and higher death rates in men.

In her 2004 book, “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love,” black feminist author Bell Hooks wrote, “The first act of violence patriarchy demands of men is not violence against women. Instead, patriarchy requires all men to engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, which kill the emotional parts of themselves.”

Can a patriarchy be dismantled?

Any system created by people can be changed by people. Patriarchy is a social system that was designed by men to favor men. It has been adopted through the ages through learned behavior and cultural norms that put men on top. To dismantle this ideal, we must challenge entrenched prejudices against women.

Sounds simple, but there’s a lot of work to do. Faced with “sexual and reproductive rights being reversed” and “women’s rights being abused, threatened and violated around the world”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March that equality of gender seemed to be “300 years away”.

Listing several areas of inequality, Guterres was explicit about their causes: “Centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and harmful stereotypes have created a huge gender gap in science and technology”, before adding: “Let’s be clear: global structures are not working to the world of women and girls. They need to change.”

There are many strategies that can lead to the change Guterres calls for, from efforts to change cultural norms to access to education for girls, women’s economic empowerment and institutional reform. But the main one is also funding and support for women’s rights organizations.

In a column for CNN Democracy Alliance President Pamela Shifman wrote:

“To reverse the increasing damage done every day to women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, feminist movements need more resources. They also need the freedom to respond to new threats and opportunities and to innovate boldly. Threats, in their origin and nature, are always changing and we need feminist organizations that are resilient and capable of change as well. Now is the time to fund these organizations.”