As Women’s History Month rolls around, many people discuss the idea of “matriarchy over patriarchy,” but what does that really mean?
Patriarchy is the idea that men should hold positions of power, dominate roles in political leadership and follows the idea of a male-centric norm.
Matriarchy, on the other hand, is the inverse of this, with women in primary power, women dominating politically and following female-centric norms.
Many people argue that one is better than the other, as a patriarchy is how many countries follow norms, beliefs and traditions.
However, some societies, such as the Mosuo of China, the Minangkabau of Indonesia, the Haudenosaunee—also known as the Iroquois—of North America and historical societies in Scandinavia, such as the Sami or Vikings, are all matriarchies.
Many people argue that societies dominated by women would be “unstable” or “impossible to achieve,” however, these societies have been doing it for centuries, and doing it well.
One of the benefits mentioned is that women’s health actually improves in these situations.
As stated by the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), “It is remarkable that widely-reported gender disparities in inflammation and hypertension are not only attenuated, but reversed in matrilineal Mosuo communities.”
While this is not the only benefit, many others have not been extensively studied. Some of these benefits include increased female autonomy, better equality, less crime and more environmental or social support.
Some people also believe that in matriarchal societies, the idea of egalitarianism is more present and plays a bigger role than it does in patriarchal societies.
Egalitarianism is the idea that all people are equal and that one gender, race, sex, ethnicity, etc. should not hold more power over another.
While this is not proven, matriarchal societies do seem to be more egalitarian than patriarchy, in that they do allow men to hold positions of power, and they allow patrilineal family tracking as opposed to strictly matrilineal.
As utopian as this may seem, many argue against it, claiming issues relating to potential suppression of men, wealth and demographic disadvantages, and potential social chaos.
The benefits of patriarchy are also relatively small, as most of the conceived benefits are confided to one group: men. Some include rapid growth, technological advancement and civilizational advancement.
However, this outlook also has downsides, such as oppression of women, higher crime rates, more inequality and rigid gender or societal standards for both men and women.
Overall, there are positives and negatives of both gender hierarchies, and many today advocate for egalitarian systems instead, where both sides can be heard and collaborate together.
