What do you instantly think of when you hear the word ‘matriarchy’? Most people wouldn’t have even heard of this form of governance and living, some would consider it a made up word taken from the infamous ‘patriarchy’. So here is some information regarding the forgotten societal form:
Matriarchy is the branch of society that requires the female members and women in general to be the head, be it at home or the various spheres- political, social and economic involving the functioning of a society. They are expected to be the authoritative figures and are required to give the final decision over major issues with the teachings and culture inclined towards a woman-centric direction. Similar to the goddesses that are worshipped in the Hindu religion, the significance is towards the females and they are considered the supreme authority within and outside the household. This would mean an advantage when compared with the male population (similar to the one seen in patriarchy but more gentle and inclusive).
Matriarchy is not entirely the opposite of patriarchy as both the practices follow certain patterns which are unique to them, for eg- within a matriarchal society, you won’t see the discrimination on gender basis as seen in a patriarchal society; obviously the power concentrated within the hands of women would leave the men with a sense of exclusion but it was made sure to deal with this loophole during the reign of matriarchal societies unlike the current society which takes pride in sexism and confinement of its women.
Some might confuse matriarchy with matrilineal societies, the major difference is that in the latter, properties and heirlooms are passed on within the female line but the authoritative powers remain with the males; in the former however, women are both employed as the dominant figures and deal with the generational wealth.
There has been a lot of debate about whether we had a history of matriarchy or not, the opposition debates over this argument due to the lack of evidence of such a society but are the first ones to claim patriarchy as the natural and inevitable form of governance, giving themselves the title of ‘progenitors’. While anthropologists question the existence of a true matriarchal society, there is a school of thought that believes that the human society was originally matriarchal. They say that during a period known as the ‘Gynocratic Age,’ women were allegedly worshipped for their ability to give birth. This was during the time when we weren’t technologically or scientifically advanced, hence giving rise to such notions.
Our history with matriarchy might not be certain but we do have some strong women present and leading their people with functioning societies during the current times. They are as follows :
1. Umoja, Kenya
Umoja in northern Kenya is home to survivors of gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, and sexual assault. The matriarch of Umoja, Rebecca Lolosoli founded this village in 1990 with about 15 survivors of rape at the hands of British soldiers. This is a community where men are forbidden. The women learn trades, teach children, sell handicrafts like jewelry and show tourists around a cultural center. They also educate women in the neighboring villages on their rights.
2. Mosuo, China
Mosuo’s culture is rooted in a matrilineal set-up where the family lineage of individuals is traced through the female line. Each household is ruled by an elderly female, who also makes important decisions related to business. In Mosuo, there is no institution of marriage, Mosuo women are free to offer or accept sexual relations with a male, and the men are allowed to do likewise. The couples never live together, and the child always remains in the mother’s care with little to no role of the father in the child’s upbringing. So, it comes as no surprise that Mosuo is also known as the ‘Kingdom of Women.’
3. Khasi, India
Meghalaya, is home to three tribes that practice kinship based on matrilineality. In the Khasi tribe, the youngest daughter inherits all the ancestral property, the children take their mother’s surname, and men live in their mother-in-law’s home after getting married. Patricia Mukhim, a national award-winning social activist, says, “Matriliny safeguards women from social ostracism when they remarry because their children, no matter who the father was, would be known by the mother’s clan name. Even if a woman delivered a child out of wedlock, which is quite common, there is no social stigma attached to the woman in our society.” She adds that her society will not succumb to the dominant patriarchal system and gender oppression that exists in most of India.
4. Minangkabau, Indonesia
Made up of 4.2 million members, the Minangkabau ethnic group of West Sumatra, Indonesia is the world’s largest known matrilineal society today. In this obscure Muslim society, women rule the domestic realm while the men are involved in political and spiritual roles. However, it is the women who choose the clan chief and have the power to remove him if necessary. The tribal law requires all clan property to be held and entrusted from mother to daughter.
Nineteenth-century social evolutionists such as Friedrich Engels and J.J. Bachofen concluded the notion that matriarchy was the original form of human social organization, later replaced by patriarchy in societies all over the world. The societies were based upon the ideology of fertility and womanhood but later a transition towards a barbaric patriarchal world took place, it also brought about the glorification of wars and worship of male deities. The contemporary society looks at women as submissive and unimportant members with every thinkable attempt to make them feel the male wrath, be it at home or the workplace. Even the thought of a female dominated society makes them revolt, they reproach women in power and give the basis of them being uneducated in the ways of the world which conveniently allows the male agendas to be put forward while the women aren’t even given the chance of representation.
Being a male in a patriarchal society creates a long list of benefits with the partiality it offers on a gender basis. This ideology has become so rooted within the minds and people that they fear anything other than male domination as profane and almost foreign, giving rise to generations with the same orthodox beliefs promoting supremacy of men.
written by Anushka Senwal
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