Introduction
“F the Patriarchy” and “Smash the Patriarchy”. You have certainly encountered these expressions at least once in your lifetime. Ever wondered what these words really mean?
Patriarchy
Patriarchy is “a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.” Commonly enough, the patriarchy is defined as a biased system in which men are more likely to be in positions of power solely because of their gender, thus contributing to gender inequalities. It may be also associated with certain mindsets, such as the “weak” woman and the “strong” male, feminine characteristics being undervalued, while masculinity being praised. Taking into consideration that such behaviours exist in arguably any society, it is imperative that feminism exists in order to counteract these differences. What is pretty difficult to grasp is the fact that, given the current mixed political situation (women enjoying all civil liberties in some parts of the world, while in others being highly restricted), the feminist rhetoric cannot be linear.
In spite of the fact that the message of these exclamations is straightforward and appealing to a young audience, I would argue that it is oversimplistic.
Problematization
The main problem of these phrases is that a patriarchal system is, as absurd as it may sound, tricky to be identified. In spite of its clear definition, it mostly applies to Western cultures, in which the patriarchy is obvious. What I mean is that most people do not think in Western terms, but in their own cultural terms. As this might sound abstract, I will give you the most basic example: marriage. While Westerners marry because they are in love, in some cultures this is seen as an unstable and non-durable marriage. The families are likely to select whom their children will marry, as it is part of their tradition.
For instance, a debated topic of this kind is bride price in China. Traditionally, bride price “is a form of wealth paid by a prospective groom’s family to the bride’s family” (ICS analysis). While the connotations of the bride price may be misogynistic and objectifying to the women, it has been shown that numerous women agree to the practice, as they often find it empowering. However, given the fact that some women suffer consequently to this tradition, the question of patriarchy is further complicating. Attempts by the Communist Party of China to abolish the tradition, so as to increase marriage and child birth rates, have been proven unsuccessful.
Conclusion
Taking this example into consideration (it is one of many), the question of patriarchal systems is far more complicated than it is often portrayed in the media. While being a cry of mobilisation and social justice (which we definitely need), it is oversimplistic and difficult to be grasped by non-Westerners. The point that I am trying to make (I hope that I have succeeded) is that such rhetoric is problematic at international scale, and it should be addressed in respect to other cultures.
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