If WOMEN were the more DOMINANT GENDER, would we have MASCULISM movement now?

Question

Could you all imagine the world where women are more dominant then men in almost every aspect of life? What kind of world would we have then? Is it better or worse then our own world here and now?

Parallel to the Feminism in our world, I imagine men would rally and have the Masculism in that world.... what do you think would be Masculism agenda in that world? Do you agree that there would be some radical Masculists, or should I say Male Sex Supremacists? I do believe that (again, parallel to radical Feminists/ Female Sex Supremcists in our world).

Answer 1

Hmm, good WI. Assuming men are still physically stronger than women ... I actually contemplated writing an Alternate History story in such a universe. I don't think it would be a straightforward reversal where men are expected to tend the hearth while women do everything else. Rather, I think you'd have an arrangement where men did all the dangerous and menial jobs while the women dedicated themselves to intellectual and political pursuits. The men would be seen as the strong, dumb menial class which's physical labor would free up the more intelligent women to do all the society's thinking (more intelligent according to their ideology). To illustrate, a typical family business in this society would be one where the husband did most of the work, while the wife controlled all the money and took care of the business side.

As for what such a society might be like... It would probably place the highest value on art, philosophy, and statesmenship, as these would be seen as intelligent "women's concerns". There would be a lot less emphasis on martial honor, because fighting and dying would be the province of men. Fighting and physical labor, being the province of men, would be viewed as distasteful, below a woman's dignity. On the one hand such a society might be more peaceful than ours. On the other, I imagine tech advanced might be retarded, because physical experimentation would be seen as manly and therefore distasteful. Their science would be like that of the Greeks, valuing pure logic over physical experimentation and evidence.

Actually, I think a Masculinist movement might arise much sooner on this world than feminism did here, here's why. The military would be mostly full of men, and as soon as large empires like Rome and China started to form the military in those states would become very prominent. They'd be considered the dregs of society, but whoever controlled them would control the empire. You'd get male "Sullas" who'd use their control of the army to gain power, and they'd gain popularity with the soldiers by promising people like them (i.e. males) greater rights and a greater stake in the societies they're dying to defend.

Answer 2

At one point, we DID have female-dominated societies, but it seems it was very balanced... men made leadership or legislative decisions, but spirituality was the domain of woman. This was more true in some societies than others, but for most, women spoke for the spiritual world. Women presided at births and deaths, women guided our spiritual development. It wasn't until the middle eastern, Abrahamic religious became popular that men started stepping into religion, mostly for the power over supplicants.

Women were known for their wisdom. Women rulers are some of the most celebrated in history: Catherine the Great, Queen Elizabeth (pick a number) Hapshepsut, Nefertiti.... Heck, women head many countries today. And how about goddesses? Most female goddesses had the powers of reason, wisdom, healing, sublime communication, and beauty in general. Hera, Athena, Andromeda, Isis, and we're talking common ones that any eight year old could name.. I understand the importance of the Virgin Mary's canonization was mainly to keep pagan converts happy, as they would not fully trust a fully male-centric religion. Weren't all oracles originally women?

I think the pendulum will swing that way, again. More and more women are in leadership positions in government, science, education, and business. I think, in few hundred years or so (no more than three, I'd bet) we will have a society that is once again split down gender lines, as far as accepted sources of wisdom and strength. When I say 'split,' I don't mean 'divided,' I mean that higher value will be placed on having both gender perspectives in important decisions.

After generations of that, we'll have a female-centric society... then it will balance... then a male-centric society. Everything always moves, always changes, always goes back and forth on the scale. I don't think, as humans, that we will ever have a 'built, static' society, but we are always moving toward the centerline, in some aspects, away in others.

Hey, PF... I already apologized to you. It's in that post.
Yes, yes, I am remiss... I mean to say that some aspects of life in some societies were dictated by women, and that was frequently religious authority. I didn't mean to give the impression that ancient societies were ruled by women. But they were (are) some of the most celebrated rulers. I'm really only trying to push the idea that women are really equal and respectable, and many men and women, throughout history, have believed this. Sometimes, they were the majority. Often, they were not, so I think that the hypothetical parallel world would not be all that different from our own. I'm absolutelly certain we would still bicker about it.

Answer 3

It's very difficult to imagine an entire social construct unlike anything humanity has ever experienced. By dominant, do you mean just like the societies that men have built only women built them? That would still be a masculine society with women behaving like men, as we often see in movies with tough, aggressive, angry, repressive, ***-kicking females, and likely men, as long as they were similar to the women we know, would react much the same as women have today. Or, do you mean a world that from eons ago developed along along lines expressing feminine qualities of nurturing, relationship building, nest building, which still could be, I suppose, constructs of a world defined by males? Although such a world is really hard to imagine, it would likely be less competitive, less technologically advanced, more peaceful and slower paced. I'm in way over my head.

Answer 4

Women are and there isn't...yet. The Masculist agenda would eliminate Affirmative Action, eliminate the draft, and address financial inequity (women own/control a much higher percentage of the wealth in America). Can't we all just get along?

Answer 5

Read "Herland" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

It's tough to say. All speculation since we do not know what a society without the domination of women by men would look like as it has never existed.

Honestly?? I doubt it. Generally female hatred toward men stems from some man at one point attempting to dominate her as a conquest, rather than recognize her as a human being.

Male hatred of women tends to stem from what he views as her having some sort of power, that power, mind you, being the power of control over herself, not another.

The patriarchy expects female submisson to the status quo, the more dominant male agenda.

Feminism on the other hand expects women to be seen as valid human beings, not as any better or worse, just valid.

Answer 6

Unfortunately, I've worked with women in power and some are as bad as men... Neither has to rule - your idea is just flipping the power from one to the other - what (of substance)would really change? IMO, true and fair equality can't be beat.

Answer 7

Yes, but it would be very different than the feminist movement. There would be a few men that manifest their reaction very badly, as opposed to the average man and the intelligent man. One of the biggest differences is that smart men wouldn't try to deny things the same way that smart women do today.

Answer 8

If everything would have been the exact opposite, things now would be the exact opposite too. What you are saying is basically saying "take the Fe from female and put it before "male"

Answer 9

Probably. But I wish I could just chill and have a woman taking care of me. I'm not saying being a house wife isn't hard, legitimate work.

Answer 10

Can't imagine it. Women are not in general hard-wired to run the world. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are only exceptions.