1560s, in ecclesiastical sense, from Greek patriarkhia, from patriarkhes (see patriarch). Meaning "system of society or government by fathers or elder males of the community" first recorded [..]

This term refers to a traditional form of organizing society which often lies at the root of gender inequality. According to this kind of social system, men, or what is considered masculine, is accord [..]

The domination of society by men. Back to top

A system of male supremacy.

Social organization that structures the dominance of men over women.

noun. 1. a culture wherein descent and inheritance is patrilineal, that being, followed via just the male. 2. more loosely, a family, set of people, or culture directed and overseen by only males.

"Sexism is perpetuated by systems of patriarchy where male-dominated structures and social arrangements elaborate the oppression of women. Patriarchy almost by definition also exhibits androc [..]

Social arrangements such as in the form of institutional practices and prevailing social attitudes that enable men to dominate women.

A condition in which gender

Patriarchy is a structural notion that sees the organisation of the social world arranged for the benefit of, and controlled by, men.

   A form of social organization marked by the supremacy of the father in the clan or family, the legal dependence of wives and children, and the reckoning of descent and inheritance from the male lin [..]

(n) a form of social organization in which a male is the family head and title is traced through the male line

Power and authority held by males.

Political system ruled by men in which women have inferior social and political status, including basic human rights.

Patriarchy refers to the current societal framework, the structure of which has historically kept men in positions of power and authority in society, and has encouraged the domination of other nations [..]

a system of male dominance that suppresses non-masculine traits and behaviors. This is considered to be problematic by social justice warriors, even if such a system is formed voluntarily and proves more successful than other forms of social organization.

A social group governed exclusively by males or groups of males.

A system of stratification where men are given more power and prestige than women.

A social system in which the father is head of the household, having authority over women and children, and in which lineage is traced through the male line. A system of government or society in w [..]

Systemic and institutionalised male domination and the cultural, political, economic and social structures and ideologies that perpetuate gender inequality and women’s subordination (Just Associates 2012).

A system of society or government in which men hold power and women are largely excluded from it.

A system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it (Oxford Dictionary). It is easy to view the idea of patriarchy with biased eyes, pointing at societ [..]

A community of related families under the authority of a patriarchNote: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the authors of the Communist Manifesto (1848/49), applied the term to mean societies or civiliza [..]