Rethinking the Implications of the Patriarchic System of Male Dominance and Female Subordination in the Twenty First Century

Abstract

The ideology and practice of patriarchy and female dominance in the twenty first century constitute a major impediment to women’s enhancement and progress. This study unveils the origins, meanings, nature, implications, and perspectives of patriarchic societies on the female gender and how these aspects influence their attitudes and development. Various forms of economic, political, social, and religious discrimination were generated against women from the past decades till present day. The forms of domination range from male children preference to female children, household chores, food distribution, unequal educational opportunities, wife battering, sexual harassment, discrimination on inheritance issues and ownership of property such as lands, houses, titles. It explores the experiences of women considered as victims of patriarchy and subordinates to men. It is of primordial necessity to understand why and how female domination and subordination manifests in order to ensure women’s development systematically. Feminism could be understood from varied view points since there exist a multifaceted structure of feminisms. Feminism motivates and rekindles the anxiety for one to develop more interests on how female power mongers, especially, manifest their desires to occupy posts of responsibility, politically, socially, culturally, historically, and even economically. In brief, it balances the perennial needs, theoretical frameworks and creates a more enabling environment for the understanding and functioning of various structures of the society in a gendered pattern, since it advances from theory to practice. Patriarchy is one of the setbacks for women’s progress in the society, since it guarantees absolute power for men in particular and establishes an inferior status for the female gender as a whole.