Guest Post: The Natural Development of Patriarchal Societies
©2019 Molly Carter
Patriarchal societies in which women had less, little, or no power/autonomy seem to be the norm throughout history. Why was this so prevalent? What are some matriarchal societies and how did they differ from the patriarchal ones?
After writing Molly Carter's answer to What male/female double standard do you hate the most?, I’ve been thinking a lot of patriarchal societies and what that means.
And here’s where I’m at with my thoughts and analysis. Civilization and society have developed in specific ways for specific reasons. Some we can quantify, some we can’t. But one major influence for women, throughout most of human history, is the fact that she’s been ruled by childbearing and rearing responsibilities.
Before 1957 and the creation of hormonal birth control pills, there was little a woman could do to stop herself from getting pregnant. Sure there was sheepskin and coat hangers, but in reality, many women got and remained pregnant for much of their childbearing years.
And this, pregnancy and breast feeding and toddlers in tow, made women vulnerable. Pregnancy makes you large and cumbersome and having an infant attached to your breast sure makes it difficult to move quickly.
In the earliest stages of humanity, we were hunters and gatherers. Generally speaking, men in these early societies were the primary hunters, traveling away from camp for periods of time in search of large game. Women stayed close to camp and foraged while taking care of the child rearing. Both of these positions were important and it’s assumed that one was not viewed as “better” than another within these cultures...
CONTINUE READING
Patriarchal societies in which women had less, little, or no power/autonomy seem to be the norm throughout history. Why was this so prevalent? What are some matriarchal societies and how did they differ from the patriarchal ones?
After writing Molly Carter's answer to What male/female double standard do you hate the most?, I’ve been thinking a lot of patriarchal societies and what that means.
And here’s where I’m at with my thoughts and analysis. Civilization and society have developed in specific ways for specific reasons. Some we can quantify, some we can’t. But one major influence for women, throughout most of human history, is the fact that she’s been ruled by childbearing and rearing responsibilities.
Before 1957 and the creation of hormonal birth control pills, there was little a woman could do to stop herself from getting pregnant. Sure there was sheepskin and coat hangers, but in reality, many women got and remained pregnant for much of their childbearing years.
And this, pregnancy and breast feeding and toddlers in tow, made women vulnerable. Pregnancy makes you large and cumbersome and having an infant attached to your breast sure makes it difficult to move quickly.
In the earliest stages of humanity, we were hunters and gatherers. Generally speaking, men in these early societies were the primary hunters, traveling away from camp for periods of time in search of large game. Women stayed close to camp and foraged while taking care of the child rearing. Both of these positions were important and it’s assumed that one was not viewed as “better” than another within these cultures...
CONTINUE READING
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