How Patriarchy Causes Oppression
The Shift Within: How We End Oppression and Divisiveness to Create Liberation and Indivisibility for All
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How Patriarchy Causes Oppression
When I think about the behaviors and outputs of patriarchy I think about control, fear, violence, hierarchy, religion, authoritarianism, moral judgment, sexism, governments, and many more. Using the systems mapping skill that I introduced in the “Let’s Play Connect The Dots” post, would help you to see how patriarchy evolved and emerged from the system of power-over and how they are interconnected and interdependent.
Patriarchy is a social system that has, for many centuries, placed males in positions of power over females and children. Presently it's a system that limits opportunities for all sexes, encourages toxic behavioral standards among men to prove themselves worthy of respect, fails to adequately protect the safety and rights of women, children, and LGBTQIA+, and ultimately prevents meaningful conversations about issues like domestic violence towards these groups of people or mental health issues faced by men. Overall, patriarchy is an outdated system that continues to have damaging effects on all sexes, genders, and age groups.
Historically, patriarchy has led to oppression of women and non-men in a variety of ways and the negative impacts of this history can still be felt today. Legal and political disenfranchisement denied women the right to own property, vote, participate in politics, or hold positions of power. This has led to the marginalization of women and their exclusion from decision-making roles is still evident in many areas across society today. Centuries of economic exploitation confined women to low-paying jobs or unpaid domestic labor. Presently, women are still paid less than men for doing the same job, and their work is often undervalued and underappreciated.
Patriarchal societies have historically imposed social restrictions on women and non-men, limiting access to personal and sexual agency and self-determination as well as their access to education, healthcare, and other social resources. They’ve also been subjected to harmful cultural practices like female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and honor killings.
Patriarchy has created a culture of violence and abuse against women and non-men subjecting them to domestic violence, sexual assault, and harassment. The fear of violence has historically restricted their freedom and mobility, and has had a devastating impact on their mental health and well-being. Patriarchy has also often denied women the right to control their own bodies and reproductive choices. For example, historically, many women have been forced into unwanted pregnancies, denied access to contraception, and subjected to forced sterilization.
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We desperately need to move away from patriarchy for everyone's sake.