Patriarchy or Feminism Choice is yours

JULY 6, 201311 COMMENTS

Patriarchy
The feminist definition of patriarchy is a social or ideological construct that considers men as
superior to women. Feminists challenge the concept where men are considered as the heads
of the family and they say that this is the way how men control womens production,
reproduction and sexuality. They further blame that masculinity and femininity are actually
two stereotypes imposed by patriarchy.

Lets see how our society has become patriarchal in nature. In prehistoric ages when men and
women were equal, men being the stronger gender found that they were better in hunting
and in jobs that needed more strength. So they went hunting for bigger and wilder animals.
Women on the other hand, found it better to stay indoors and engaged themselves in
household work or hunting smaller animals, birds etc.

In those prehistoric days, human species found the merits of staying together in a group
because that was needed to save their species from attacks of wild animals or other natural
disasters or other human groups. So they started forming groups and setup their homes near
other human beings. This system gradually developed the concepts of family, society and
finally the kingdom or the state.

This is the system that developed some natural qualities in both the genders. Being in home
and safe from the danger of wild animals, women got more time socializing with each other
and became naturally better in socializing, debating and articulating themselves.

Men on the other hand had to go for hunting in groups and do life threatening jobs very often.
So men developed skill of forming teams, following orders and became natural leaders. The
job division thus happened in prehistoric ages where the male species became the naturally
dominant gender, provider and protector for the female species. Women on the other hand
became care givers and lovers for the family.

Anthropologist and world renowned Oxford scholar Desmond Morris proved this in his
scientific documentary series The Human Sexes. He also showed that there are some
bodily features and humane characteristics developed in these two genders based on their
social roles. For example, women being mothers developed an inherent stronger sense of
smells, because mothers very often kept their babies with them and thus become familiar
with their smell and identified their babies by smell. His experiment with modern day mothers
showed that a pack of blindfolded mothers can identify their babies by their smell very easily
and more accurately compared to the blindfolded fathers.
The above discussion shows that the gender roles were developed in the human
world NOT by any conspiracy but simply by natural evolution. And because this was natural,
this system has lived for ages. Men being the stronger sex and being the natural leaders
(because of their need for hunting) became the dominant gender and became heads of the
family and society became patriarchal. This is because we always accept the leadership of the
strongest and bravest and not that of the weakest.
Feminism
Bhasin and Khan (1999 : 3) defined feminism as an awareness of patriarchal control,
exploitation and oppression at the material and ideological levels of womens labour, fertility
and sexuality, in the family, at the place of work and in society in general, and conscious
action by women and men to transform the present situation.

The famous Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 started the feminist movement where they
wanted equal voting rights for women in US and in UK. Around 1920 the same is granted to
women in both the countries.
Apart from the voting rights some other rights sought in this first phase of feminism were
equal legal rights and right to education. These feminists are referred to as Liberal
Feminists who believed that once women get equal education the distinction between
genders would become unimportant in social and political life. In 1970, Harriet Taylor in
Subjection of Women proposed that women should get citizenship and political rights and
liberties enjoyed by men. In one sense Liberal Feminists were reformists who didnt want to
challenge the basic patriarchal structure of the society but wanted equal rights.
Radical Feminists opposed the above approach and challenged the Mystique of
Motherhood (Heywood 2003: 254) and the basic structure of the society and thus born a
second wave of feminism. These feminists argued that above changes cant change womens
position in society as these measures dont address the problem that they have termed as
Socially Structured Inequalities (Mandell, 1995). These feminists believed that only political
and legal rights were insufficient to change womens subordination. Feminist ideas and
arguments have become radical and revolutionary thereafter.
Radical Feminists say that the ideology of motherhood subjugates women and perpetuates
patriarchy. This not only forces women to be the mothers but also determines the conditions
of their motherhood (Bhasin, 199:8). So they believe that motherhood is socially imposed
rather than biological in nature.

For radical feminists sexual relations are political acts, emblematic of male / female power
relation. They believe that Family is a place where women get maximum exploitation. They
say that the public-private divide in a family system legitimizes exploitation of women.
Radical feminists believe that unless sexuality is reconceived and reconstructed only for
women, they will continue to remain suppressed by men.

Marxist Feminists believe that with development of private property concept is responsible
for division of classes and subordination of women in our society. They say that the concept of
capitalism based on private property concept defeated the female gender based on private
property ownership by men. This completely did away with private property ownership
through the female line of ownership.
Socialist Feminists believed that only equal political and legal opportunities will not resolve
the issue of inequality. To them child bearing and child rearing issues are cultural rather than
biological. They claim to transform the society such that the social classifications like class,
gender, sexuality and race no longer acts as barrier to share in equal resources. This class of
feminists believes that appropriation and commoditization of womens sexual and
reproductive capacity by men lies in the concept of Private Property, institutionalization of
slavery, womens sexual subordination and economic dependency on men.
This group of feminists believes that women confinement to domestic sphere serves economic
interests of capitalism. They argue that because women liberate men from domestic duties
and child rearing duties men can perform paid work. And hence they say that patriarchal
division of labour within the family confines women only to unpaid and unvalued domestic
work while the man gets the free time to work outside their home and get paid by the
capitalist world.

There are some different types of feminists that emerged since 1980. Lets take a look at their
agenda
Psychoanalytical Feminists believe biological factors are not responsible for construction of
sexual difference. So they want to explore the hidden dynamics at work to display our
sexuality. Freudian psychoanalysts describe women oppression in patriarchy as a process.
Feminists like Dorothy Dinnerstein and Nancy Chodorow say that based on the concept object
relation theory exclusive female mothering is the cause of gender inequality (Mandell,
1995: 20).
Eco Feminists like Vandana Shiva says that in certain aspects women are superior to men
and men can never develop these skills. She said that ecological destruction and capitalist
growth are patriarchal projects (Vandana Shiva, Colonialism and the evolution of masculinist
forestry 1991).
Difference Feminists believe that there is a basic difference between the two genders and
these lead to biological differences
Postmodern Feminists claim that female identity can be reconstructed and deconstructed
and there is no fixed identity.
Black Feminists prioritized the differences based on colour and race and claim that women
in colour are more oppressed. They criticize all other feminists for their ignorance of race in
feminism agenda.
Lesbian Feminists advocate creation of a world through the attachment women have for
each other. They promote lesbianism as more than personal decision but an outward sign of
rejection of patriarchal sexuality imposed on women. They want to redefine social cultures
created by patriarchy and create women centered cultures.
Feminism on Patriarchy
Feminists challenge the patriarchal family system (joint family system in India) or kinship
system (prevailing in South Asia) and say this system was constituted by a group of people
related in male members where girls are seen as paraya dhan. (Maine in Uberoi 2005)

Feminists like Gerda Lerner says family system reinforces male supremacy in every sphere of
life upto the state level where boys learn to be dominating and aggressive and girls learn to
be loving, caring and submissive. They say it is because of this gender stereotype women are
subjected and also prone to more violence.

Some theorists believe that patriarchy imposes inferiority on women by projecting ever
sacrificing, self-effacing image of women who is a faithful wife and devout mother (Desai and
Krishnaraj, 2004). Laws of Manu says that since women are by their nature disloyal, they
should be made dependent on men and the man need to be worshipped as god. They believe
that pre-vedic era women were free of any bias and were treated equally but more restrictions
came in through different patriarchal systems imposed on femininity in post-vedic
(Brhaminical and Medieval) era.

They say that all major religions suppress femininity and promotes patriarchy by different
customs be it Parda, Hijab, or by separating public and private space. They say women need
to have sole decision about their pregnancy and termination of the same. Male dominated
institutions like the church and the state impose laws and restrictions where a man controls
all these decisions for women.

Feminists like Uma Chakravarthi, Gerda Lerner and others challenge the idealization of
chastity and wife fidelity as highest duty of women and believe that family, religion, class,
caste, community, tribe and state are all designed to suppress female sexuality and should be
broken free.

Conclusion
From the above discussion we have seen how the two systems have evolved and tried to
understand the concepts in depth. We have seen that even though the development of
patriarchal society was not for oppressing the women but simply by natural choice designed
for survival of the human species. Human species came together and started forming groups
because they wanted to safeguard themselves from the wild animal attack and the attack of
the natural disasters. Men took up the natural role of provider and protector as they evolved
as the best gender for the same. Our hormonal balance and body construct is made this way
by the nature to behave in this way and there is absolutely no conspiracy behind the same.
However, some form of political and oppression theories projected by the feminists (parda
pratha, domestication of women etc) are already broken free in most of the societies.

If women in a normal Indian household engage in household work, there are many men who
contribute in positive way as well. Feminists have an issue in having any duty set for the
women, however men DO NOT show any issue in sharing those responsibilities with their
women. Many modern households have seen fathers raising their children or cooking for the
two when the wife goes to work. Some men do that even when their wife is not working in the
capitalist world. In fact most modern and educated man in India wants their wife to be
engaged in some work for the capitalist world so that she can contribute financially to the
family. However, in recent times in India we have seen that it is the womens groups who
demanded alimony to be a right for women and wanted to make women dependant on men.

The feminists views regarding pregnancy and especially terminating the same as the sole
decision of the mother is also not acceptable as it is related to survival of the human race. I
hope even feminists themselves will be thankful to their mothers for not terminating them in
her womb as a right of the mother. Modern day ultra feminists have raised demand of not
feeding their male child and only nurturing the female babies. These radical theories will only
create immense gender imbalance in the society.

Feminists views on family being an oppressing system for women is scary for many as this is
the biggest strength the human race has. We have formed families because we wanted to
safeguard ourselves from the dangerous outside world and have that bonding keep us going
even in difficult times. However, we have seen that in recent times our family system is
attacked by feminists in designing different family breaking laws and promoting divorces in
the name of unshackling the womenhood from patriarchy. This will create immensely selfish
and fragmented world with high rate of corruption and crime.

In order to make women sexually free, feminists are opposing the theories of monogamy and
promoting polygamy instead. It is basically the concept of My Body My Choice and I decide
who will penetrate the same and when. This is in a way promoting and legalizing prostitution
and adultery. We have already seen steps taken by many feminist groups in that direction. In
India National Commission for Women (NCW) has made adultery a non punishable
offence for women. Recently many womens groups are advocating to make this non criminal
for men as well. In Bangaldesh too, a feminist groups are demanding Adultery to be legal for
women. This is another proposition by feminists which will surely lead to rampant prostitution
in the society.

If prostitution becomes legal then I am sure even the hardcore feminists will not like a
situation when a mother tells her children that Beta I am now sleeping with another uncle
you please take care of yourself for today..or no one will like their own daughter going next
door and asking for sex (like they do today asking for milk, or newspaper or may be sugar). I
am sure, no son would have respected their mother if she had abandoned him in his
childhood or left him to the street dogs to feed him breast-milk or outsourced that job to a
father.

Whereas some forms of rules set by the so called patriarchal society may be oppressing in
nature for women but many of the changes demanded by feminists are not only dangerous
for individuals but to the human race as a whole. We have seen that how in situations of
natural disaster feminism takes a back seat and only men brave-hearts are pushed to die.
This was evident in Uttarakhand recently. We have also seen that for ages men have done the
most dangerous jobs or died in wars. Men have not only made this world a better and safer
place for women to live in but also protected and nourished them. On the other hand
feminism only criticized men for everything they have today. If women were made to stay
indoors that was for their own safety, if prostitution was prevented that was only to create a
better world where every child has the necessary protection, love and affection of both the
parents and grow up as better and stronger individuals.

As an educated and self respecting person it is your turn to decide what you want Patriarchy
or Feminism. It is you to understand the negativity that is brought in by the feminism. If you
understand the dangers of feminism now please dont contribute to any feminist propaganda,
do not share or fuel any of those so called women oppression theories and do not directly or
indirectly fund them. Above all, do not think patriarchy is all bad. Because when the human
race is in danger, these empowered women will not come forward to save us and will continue
to blame the same men who save them.

References
1.Desmond Morris, Oxford University, The Human Sexes, Documentary for Discovery network
2.Bhasin, Kamla, What is Patriarchy?, Kali for Women, New Delhi, 1993.
3.Bhasin, Kamla, Understanding Gender, Women Unlimited, New Delhi, 2003.
4.Suranjitha Ray, Understanding Patriarchy, Delhi University