Is there a species of animal in which the female gains dominence over time or after children?

Question

Need a metaphor for a paper i'm writing on my mother.

Answer 1

In the animal world, the older an animal gets, the less dominance it usually has. It's the young who have the most power. If a female in a male dominated society has power, it is because she is aligned with the alpha male as his number one mate. That said, in most animal groups, the males are usually solitary and only come together with the males when its time to mate and otherwise, the females and young stay together in one large group. Elephants are probably the most matriarchical society. If a female has power, it's usually right from the beginning such as with a black widow like was already mentioned or the praying mantis who eats the male also after mating.

EDIT: But, in thinking, if I had to pick an animal who had a combination of nuturing and independent power, I would probably say a gorilla. Mature female gorillas do command a high level of respect even from some male gorillas.

Answer 2

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) have social orders in which the females are larger and more dominant than the males. The male offspring actually have to leave the natal group when they reach sexual maturity.
Interesting side note, the females have very enlarged clitorises that resemble penises. They also have high levels of testosterone.

Answer 3

Oh yes, the black widow spider female kills then eats her other half after mating.
Now that's what you call dominance!