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Hifumi's Study Notes📕Cegep 1HumanitiesPatriarchy

Patriarchy ​

Tags
Cegep1
Humanities
Word count
484 words
Reading time
4 minutes

Social system that privileges the male

Properties:

  • Not primordial, but a social construct
  • Defines gender expectations
    • Men also expected to conform to patriarchy
    • Homophobia & transphobia
  • Generally, more civilized = fewer rights for women
    Greater economic independence = greater freedom and autonomy
    Higher caste / class = less freedom and autonomy
    • <= lowering of marriage age of girls
    • <= when a family can afford keeping women at home, its status rises. Conversely when economic situation improves, women are kept at home.
    • E.g. dvija women are more restricted.
    • E.g. adivasis are more egalitarian.

Origins ​

  1. Hunter-gatherer groups
    • Gender division of labour: women gather; men hunt
      • <= women reproduce so are less suitable for hunt
    • Gender balance
      • Women may be more respected because they have stable source of food.
  2. Agricultural revolution
    • Gender division of labour: women spend more time inside; men spend more time outside
      • <= need to have more babies for population growth
  3. Emergence of patriarchy
    • <= need to have more babies for population growth
    • <= accumulation of properties
    • <= public / private divide
  4. Institutionalization
    • Religion, culture, laws, etc.

Status of women ​

Affected by:

  • Caste / class
  • Region
    • Generally women in southern South Asia and rural areas have more freedom.
  • Age
    • Older = higher status

Honour / shame ​

Family is honoured if women behave in appropriate ways.

Public / private spheres ​

Segregation of women

  • Public sphere (outside the home): men space
    • Work deemed more important => higher male status
  • Private sphere (inside the home): women space
    • Work deemed less important => lower female status

[!example] Purdah (lit. curtain, veiling of women)

[!example] Zenana (female apartments in a house)

Protection / control ​

To protect honour, women are protected / controlled.

[!example] Some women cannot leave the house without male escort.

Preference for boys ​

Caused by:

  • Patrilineality:
    • Lineage
    • Property transfer
  • Patrilocality:
    • Care of parents in old age
  • Funeral rituals performed by sons
  • Dowry

Concepts ​

Patrilineality ​

In a family, inheritance of properties by the male line

Patrilocality ​

Cultural pattern where married couple settles in the husband's home or community

In South Asia ​

Variety of gender norms before patriarchy:

  • Traditions of cross-dressing, transgender and transsexuality
  • Ardhnarisvara

Contestation ​

  • Women going out of purdah:
    • Women anti-colonialists protested along with men anti-colonialists.
    • Sarala devi Chaudhurani founded the first national-level women's organisation in India.
    • Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain founded schools for girls and wrote Sultana's Dream, a feminist utopic story.
    • Writing with Fire documents a dalit female journalist who challenges gender and caste expectations.
  • Ring the doorbell movement fights against domestic violence.
  • Burka Avenger and Meena promote gender equality to kids.
  • Rape - It's Your Fault highlights the problem of rape.

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