Patriarchy (dictionary)

BoyWiki Dictionary: Patriarchy (dictionary)

n

¹ Patriarchy is a social system in which males hold primary power, predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. In the domain of the family, fathers or father-figures hold authority over women and children. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage and descent is reckoned exclusively through the male line, sometimes to the point where significantly more distant male relatives take precedence over female relatives. The female alternative is matriarchy. Historically, patriarchy has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, and economic organization of a range of different cultures.