Patriarchy

Patriarchy is the social system that enables men to hold the position of privilege and dominance. The term is used technically in an anthropological setting to refer to clans and families that the father or eldest male controls. From a feminist lens, patriarchy is the broad social structure where men dominate over children and women. According to this theory, the term is extended to the various manifestations where men are socially privileged over others who are oppressed and exploited such as via the male dominance of moral authority and their property control tendencies. One can explain patriarchy through various ideologies that justify and rationalize this male dominance and attribute it to the differences between men and women. There are, however, debates on whether patriarchy is a social construct or the result of these innate differences between the genders. Social constructionists, conversely, contest this notion by claiming gender inequity and gender roles are powerful instruments that have been normalized to retain men's control over women. Nonetheless, one must analyze the various manifestations of patriarchy to comprehend its effects, including; gender roles, patriarchal violence, and mental health issues.

Gender Roles

First, patriarchy is evident in the gender roles prevalent in contemporary society. It has impacted how parents view and treat their children, especially with its infiltration of various social systems, including religion. People learn in churches that women's roles were to submit to powerful men and help them achieve God's plan for man's dominion over the earth and all in it (Hooks). People are taught of God’s male nature, a teaching reinforced in schools, sports areas, clubs, courthouses, and every other institution one encounters. This way, people embrace patriarchal thinking and teach it to their children because it looks like the natural way of life. Bell Hooks recalls her parents educating her of her role to serve, be free from thinking which was burdensome for females, be weak, and take care of others (Hooks). In contrast, her brother was taught to provide, serve, be strong, strategize, think, plan, and refuse to nurture or take care of others. Bell Hooks was taught that it was improper and unnatural for females to be violent, while her brother was taught that his value depended on violence in appropriate settings (Hooks). Like many males in contemporary society, the brother was taught not to express his emotions, while the author was taught that girls should and could express them. When Bell Hooks became aggravated when she was denied a toy, she was taught that rage is inappropriate for females and should be eradicated and not expressed. When the brother did a similar thing, he was applauded and taught to harness and release it in an appropriate setting (Hooks). When he grew older, he was taught that rage was normal and it should provoke him to violence to safeguard his nation and home (Hooks). Overall, Hooks and his brother are a perfect example of what goes on in families all over the globe as they are taught the gender roles that will define how they lead their lives after which they teach these same notions to their children.

Patriarchal Violence Against Women

Violence against women and children is commonplace in a patriarchal households. In Bell Hooks’ experience, her father beat her up for lack of adherence to gender norms (Hooks). At a young age, at four or five years, she barely understood why she could not join her brother in playing marbles, which he termed a boy’s game that girls should not engage in. After her father asked her to stop and she insisted, he shouted at her, and when she still insisted, he beat her. The father meant the beating to show his dominion and make Bell Hooks acknowledge it. It was also meant as a lesson to everyone else to reinforce the message and make her remember the state of absolute powerlessness (Hooks). It was a sign that if anyone disobeyed the rules set by the man of the house, the man could punish them, resulting in the schooling of patriarchy (Hooks). Using violence to reinforce the indoctrination and acceptance of patriarchy is also the reason for intimate partner violence. In Ghana, for instance, at least a third of women report abuse in various forms, with 33% being abused by their current or former partners (Sikweyiya et al.). Twenty-nine percent of women also reported that their initial sexual experience was forceful, while men had inappropriately touched 33% of women against their will (Sikweyiya et al.). Women’s exposure to violence at the hand of their partners has become socially normalized despite its legitimacy being contested. In some circumstances, such as when the female disobeys her husband, declines to have sex with her husband, or neglects the children, hitting the wife has been authorized (Javed and Chattu). These incidents of violence are thus associated with the prevalent gender norms that women and children are taught from a young age.

Men’s Suppression of Emotions

The indoctrination of boys into patriarchal rules involves forcing them to feel pain and deny their emotions. Unfortunately, one cannot keep one’s children out of patriarchy’s reach as their interaction with their peers who have been taught its principles leads to psychological patriarchy (Hooks). Patriarchy demand that men become emotionally crippled (Natarajan). Because of the system's restrictions on men's freedom of choice, it is difficult for any male, regardless of socioeconomic status, to rebel against patriarchy or display disloyalty to their patriarchal parents, regardless of the parent's gender (Hooks). Men often adopt these stereotypical emotional behaviors because they want to be accepted and affirmed in the patriarchal society, and it helps them prosper in the workplace. There is no biological justification that females are more emotional than men (Natarajan). However, significant global findings indicate that men have been socialized to hide their feelings while it is legitimate for females to share theirs. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) indicated in their study that several adolescent boys admitted they were told not to express themselves, show their emotions, or cry (UNICEF). They have been conditioned to believe that showing emotions indicates weakness reinforcing the narrative that men and boys are strong and women are vulnerable because they show their emotions (Ilich). Additionally, any situation that threatens to uncover the vulnerability and neediness of men explodes into violent defense (Ilich). The valuing of the rigid man in patriarchy results in many mental health issues. Men are disconnected from their emotional experience leading to effects such as suicide and mental suffering, and they cannot reach out for help as that is considered a weakness.

In a nutshell, patriarchy has various adverse effects on both men and women, hence the need to create more awareness to mitigate its effects. Despite the debate on the origins of patriarchy, it is a failed system that causes tyranny. However, from the above, men and women can be patriarchal despite only men benefitting from it. First, children are socialized differently depending on their gender to fit the gender roles in a patriarchal society. Men are told to feel only fear and rage at this stage, while women are taught to be nurturing. Violating these norms results in patriarchal violence against both children and women. Women are commonly violated when they deny their husbands sex or disobey them. These forms of intimate partner violence have thus been normalized. The suppression of emotions by men and their struggles as they try to fit into the male stereotype of a patriarchal society results in mental health issues that they cannot tackle, as seeking help is also a sign of weakness. Overall, patriarchy adversely affects both men and women hence the need to eradicate it in society.

Works Cited

Hooks, Bell. Understanding Patriarchy. 2015, imaginenoborders.org/pdf/zines/UnderstandingPatriarchy.pdf.

Ilich, Veronica. “How Patriarchy Hurts Men Too.” Next Gen Men, 20 Aug. 2022, www.nextgenmen.ca/blog/why-patriarchy-hurts-men-too.

Javed, Sumbal, and Vijay Kumar Chattu. “Patriarchy at the Helm of Gender-based Violence During COVID-19.” AIMS Public Health, vol. 8, no. 1, 2020, pp. 32–35. doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2021003.

Natarajan, Mahesh. “Societal Ideas of Masculinity Leads Men to Disconnect from Their Emotional Experience.” White Swan Foundation, 2 July 2018, www.whiteswanfoundation.org/gender/men/masculinity-leads-men-to-disconnect-from-their-emotional-experience.

Sikweyiya, Yandisa, et al. “Patriarchy and Gender-inequitable Attitudes as Drivers of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the Central Region of Ghana.” BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, May 2020, doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08825-z.

UNICEF. “The State of the World’s Children 2021.” UNICEF, 5 Oct. 2021, www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021.