How did patriarchy being?

Question

Any ideas on how patriachy began? I have to write a paper on just that for my womens studies class, and the only idea I have is that "fall of goddesses", which i can't even use. Any ideas?

Answer 1

Don't use the "mother goddess" cult argument, that theory is so outdated and I don't understand why feminists still use it since the archaeological evidence doesn't even come close to suggesting that. The development of language in distinguishing patrilineal cultural lines is a good way to start. Do a little research on language and culture and you'll have your paper.

Answer 2

I think it began once men realized the link between sex and babies. Don't laugh! :-) Really, once they realized that they might end up providing for a child that wasn't their own, they wanted to control women more.

Also, once women stopped extended breastfeeding and moved into the agricultural society, they became more easily controlled because they were now having 10-16 children, about 1-2 years apart, not 3-5 children, all spaced 3-4 years apart as hunter-gatherer women had.

Another contributing factor was the shift away from family groups to larger communities. Women could expect support from their birth families if their new husbands were mistreating them or controlling them when everyone lived in small "tribes". Particularly in cultures where young brides move off to be with the husband's family, such as in rural China, women are more easily controlled by the patriarchy.

EDIT: The hunter-gatherer woman did indeed provide much of the food for her family; the poster above is correct. They weren't actually just sitting in caves waiting for Mr. Hunter to feed them. :-) If you ask me, I'd take that culture over our own any day.

Answer 3

It is theorized that since men on average have more muscle mass that they began taking charge in terms of hunting and later in military matters. They believe this lead to a patriarchal society.

This train of thought would later be incorporated into cultures and religions in order to maintain the status quo and a sense of stability.

Answer 4

Ooh, don't listen to the "Man strong hunter!" or the babies people. As a poster above said, in hunter/gatherer societies, women generally bring in most of the calories through gathering, therefore their societies are generally egalitarian. And there are plenty of nonpatriarchal societies that know full well that sex equals babies. Many of them do descent through the female line. For instance, a woman's brother may be the father figure to her children, helping to raise them and making them his heirs.

Actually, the hunter/gatherer societies probably show the way. It looks like it's purely economic. When women bring in half of or most of the wealth, they get lots of power. In societies where women bring in less, like herder societies or hunter/gatherer societies that almost exclusively hunt, they have a much lower place. Of course, these women are still contributing, but they rely on what the men bring in. They may weave the blankets that bring in lots of cash, but it's still the guys herding the goats and shaving them, or whatever goatherders do. Our society is traditionally based on intensive agriculture and draws on a herder society for its mythology and religion, which is why we've been screwed for so long. It's now that we're making our own money that we're starting to turn that around.

Answer 5

I think it was a few things combined, and it depends on location...

-property ownership or creation of communities: introduction of war meant that populations needed to grow, in order for communities to defend themselves. A woman with choice would never want the huge workload of many children, so it was necessary to control women

Athens: "Citizenship" rights were granted only to those whose parents were both from Athens, and one's citizenship could be revoked if there was a suggestion that his father wasn't, in fact, his real father. As such, the public was reserved only for men, and women were baby-making machines. They were watched and contolled carefully to ensure that their sexual lives were regulated.

Answer 6

I would guess it started around the same time humans began to domesticate animals, because that necessitated land-owning, and therefore inheritance, which caused patriarchy.

Answer 7

" Daughters of Eve ... The women portrayed in the pages that follow all played decisive roles during the thousands of years covered by the biblical narrative. What is particularly intriguing about them is that most of them circumvent male authority in a patriarchal society, and some even subvert it. Even more remarkable is the fact that these women, other than the ruthless Jezebel, are never punished for their unconventional conduct. On the contrary, the biblical scribes treat the women with deep sympathy and are sensitive to their plight. All of them, with the expectation of Jezebel, are rewarded for their boldness.

Most of the women defy male authority when it is unjust or fails to answer their needs or those of their family or people. They belong to a patriarchal society in which men hold all visible power, and their options are few and stark. Given these circumstances, the women challenge, seduce and trick. They take risks, and some, such as Queen Esther and Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar, are prepared to stake their lives on the outcome. Both Tamar and Ruth are widows who would be doomed to a life of poverty and anonymity but for the initiative they take in devising careful plans of seduction. Not only do the men respond, but also the decedents of their acts of seduction become progenitors of the House of David generations later. Both women are rewarded of the risk they take to ensure the survival of the family.

We are drawn to their vulnerabilities as much as to their strengths. Like the timeless heroines of the Hebrew Bible, we too struggle to love, to parent, to succeed in relationships, and to make our way thought the labyrinth of a dangerous world. In each of the stories, the women are the protagonists around whom the action revolves.

The young Eve speaks to us with her optimism as she leaves the Garden of Eden with her man to start adult life in the real and imperfect world. Our heart aches for Sarah, who, with the best of intentions, puts another woman into the bed of her husband, Abraham, to produce the son she cannot conceive. The illicit and passionate love affair between David and Bathsheba, although it matures into a long-term marriage, raises serious and troubling universal issues. Theses are but a few of the compelling stories of the women of the Bible whose lives resonate."

Answer 8

I would look into scientific research with social animals. Like Gorillas, or lower ones like wild Horses or Wolfs. Best is the male Lion, who doesn't do a thing, but fight opponents and keep his harem together. All in the name of transferring the strongest semen to create the healthiest offspring. Evolution as its best.

Answer 9

cavemen strong --> kill animals for protein, serve as security kop
cavewomen weak --> gather veggies n fruits, bear young

hence patriarchy
how about the feminine form of patriarchy is matriarchy? found any real life examples?