Does patriarchy really exist in the past ?

63daddy · 2025-03-13T18:44:56+00:00

A patriarchy is a system where men are granted power of rule and women are excluded from having a say in the political process.

Men having more schooling in the past didn’t make the country a patriarchy in the past just as more women going to college now doesn’t make us a matriarchy today. Patriarchies and matriarchies aren’t about the education level of the populous, they are about whether one sex has all the say in governance while members of the other sex are excluded.

When the US was founded for example, only 6% of the population could vote, some of these were women. So the vast majority of men and women were excluded from having a voice in the political process, neither sex being completely excluded. That’s not a patriarchy.

Mysterious-Citron875 · 2025-03-13T19:05:40+00:00

Patriarchy never existed, men were always oppressed. The claim that the patriarchy existed before and that women were oppressed is completely fabricated and unsubstantiated.

AbysmalDescent · 2025-03-13T19:09:06+00:00

Men were expected to fill those roles and responsibilities for women's benefits, or were deemed unviable men. Men either had to be strong providers/protectors, and take on the roles women didn't want at that time, or be considered unworthy of affection, sex or children(which also meant, evolutionarily speaking, the end of them). It's not really "patriarchy", when it's women selectively perpetuating that exact dynamic in men, or creating the incentives necessary for that dynamic to exist. It's no coincidence that those same gender roles are still present today for men but not for women. If I stay at home and say "I don't really want to make any decisions anymore but if you don't choose what I want you'll no longer get anything from me" to my partner, and that gets me the outcome I want, who really has the power?

pbj_sammichez · 2025-03-13T23:54:47+00:00

It was never a patriarchy because it was never about men. The systems of this world have always been designed to enrich the wealthy at the expense of the poor. I'm realizing more and more that this culture war and gender war bullshit is just a way to keep workers divided so they can fuck us.

Well I'm kinda done. I don't want to discuss patriarchy or matriarchy. I want to discuss empowering workers because they're workers. Women and men will always be arguing with each other at a population-wide level. It's the basis of so much comedy because it's just relatable to be frustrated with the opposite sex. Feminism, however, has taken that frustration and turned it into a religion. Helping everyone see that feminism is just another tool to divide the masses is the most valuable thing i think I can do at this moment. Ditto conservative ideologies - these politicians don't give a shit about their voters' religious beliefs or family values. Conservative politicians dont want to help men, they want to help the wealthy. The politicians just need those votes from us poor folks so they can keep their cushy lives.

Snoo_78037 · 2025-03-13T19:29:01+00:00

Yes and no. Patriarchy is the rule of man. People have such a narrow definition of power. Only including political power. Men were more likely to have political power, but that doesn't mean they could just do whatever they wanted. Men in those roles were also expected to fight and defend their territory. However, political power is not the only type of power. For example, the household was the primary economic unit in the past women, who had a hand in controlling it. multiple people would work in the household like slaves the household was a business in its own right, and women were heavily involved in the production of fabric. Which could also function as a form of currency just like metals. In a society where food and other resources aren't readily available, that got you basic respect. Just because women weren't doing the same thing men were doing doesn't mean they didn't have power. Formal power isn't the only type of power in the past for most people, everything centred around the house. So the Conservative 1960s Housewife stereotype wasn't that accurate. Since it wasn't just men who worked while women were taking care of children under one income. That was only true for the upper and middle classes in the 50s/60s. To conclude, yes, men had more formal power, but that is only half the story. Women have also had immense influence over society throughout all of human history. Since they form the emotional and social attitudes that create cultures and male bonding with males that aren't even related to each other leads to progress and innovation.

OkBus5864 · 2025-03-14T01:55:44+00:00

I’d say in the Middle East today in certain countries like Iran, yes, there is. It’s definitely not common place, and they are certainly highly restrictive for men too, but women do suffer more in those countries. I’d dare to say any of us would look at that and say it’s completely unfair because we don’t want either sex to suffer. Here in the west men are definitely being actively silenced and I hope the balance point shifts where we all get an equal say everywhere.

binsomniac · 2025-03-13T19:33:10+00:00

🤔... it's a clear "mistake" to try to "judge or compare" the past reality with the present one. To give an example let's talk about education ( OP named it in his post ) in today's education standards, takes to one person at least 17 years before they can work, without "worries" of a higher education level, that can take 22/24 years of their lives to complete. If we Take that same "time frame" in past centuries that what's practically their entire life span...🤷‍♂️ Most people even dedicating all resources for plain survival they didn't make it far that age ( 80/85% ) of people were peasants. Humanity was "constantly" on the verge of "extinction" a famine, conflict or disease was almost a certain death event, and the birth of kids almost "half of the time" ended up causing also the death of the baby and mother...🤔 Now in present times, when we have "resolved" most of the past problems it's very "curious" that many nations are facing "literally" the extinction due to low birth rates ( below reposition numbers ) now most humans have the time to get an education and have kids, for example after WW2...🤷‍♂️ But in this new century there's "something" that's making human numbers to tank. Many people call it the "gender war". That has led to the "annihilation" of the nuclear family model of past centuries. Just remember that in 2030 many societies would have almost 45% of their women and men single ( and not willing to have a partner ) personally I think that would be more like 50% . Even if we overcome our past limitations, it doesn't necessarily mean that our future wouldn't be the same, facing extinction as humans...🤷‍♂️ The only difference is that many men, would be "cracking" a cold beer, comfortable sitting, while everything collapses. When in the past were the first ones in self-sacrifice themselves to "keep" humanity going on. ( That's what patriarchy did ) If nothing changes, it might be the true end for large chunks of humanity.

slashlv · 2025-03-14T07:13:03+00:00

Patriarchy is the power of fathers. Having children is primarily beneficial for the father. The patriarch controls all the family's money; the wife gives him all her money, and he manages it, while she may shamefully hide part of her money from her husband to be scolded when he finds that money. The patriarch himself may not work and live off the other family members.

Far-Salt-6946 · 2025-03-14T11:02:39+00:00

The patriarchy does exist and always has, just not the way these feminists mischaracterize it. The patriarchy is a system built by men for the benefit for women and children; and only women and children.

It's why only men die in wars, it's why only men are expected to work difficult jobs and provide for a family.

Thebaddad22 · 2025-03-14T11:50:25+00:00

Patriarchy is fake news

aren3141 · 2025-03-13T20:01:07+00:00

Tell me more about the women able to vote at the US founding, I never knew that

erik_reeds · 2025-03-14T00:41:30+00:00

obviously yes

No-Fail-1946 · 2025-03-13T23:22:30+00:00

Patriarchy is an appointment of men as leaders because they are men. Society that is led by men does not qualify definitionally.

Godskook · 2025-03-14T02:42:23+00:00

As described by feminists, Patriarchy is generally a quite naive take on how societies functioned. Most notably because it ignores "soft power" in the analysis entirely. It also ignores the agency of those in lesser classes. You see that latter point more in how they talk about rape, assuming that the more powerful person(if male) is the only one capable of consent, which is just ludicrous.

Thebaddad22 · 2025-03-14T04:52:31+00:00

Patriarchy is fake news😂

sigmaguru4680 · 2025-03-14T04:55:41+00:00

Just offering a different perspective here. In the past, the main reason why patriarchy existed was because of the world's rough living conditions. We didn't have white-collar or "pencil-pushing" jobs back then to make a living. We also didn't have any sort of peace agreements with other countries. Men were fighting off invaders 24/7. Hence, they had more stake in society because they were taking care of their country, family, and children.

Women, on the other hand, were nurturers, taking care of the household. Fast forward to the industrialisation era, many people were working in factories, doing manual labour to survive, which most women found difficult to do. Again, men, being the bigger stakeholders in society, had to take care of women and families.

In modern times, we have more white-collar and "pencil-pushing" jobs than ever. We also have social media, where people can easily make a living by simply selling pictures of their feet, which is why both genders are contributing equally to the economy, so we see fewer effects of patriarchy in modern society.

It has always been about who was offering more value to the government and had more financial power in society. Nothing to do with gender itself.

Title	Does patriarchy really exist in the past ?
Author	Fffgfggfffffff
Upvotes	39
Comments	21
Date	March 13, 2025 6:32 PM UTC (1 year ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1jaj3nu/does_patriarchy_really_exist_in_the_past/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/does-patriarchy-really-exist-in-the-past.1546453 https://theredarchive.com/post/1546453

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