Introduction:

Patriarchy refers to the dominance in society by male counterparts, intruding considerably in the autonomy of females. It is essentially a system of male domination in diverse aspects of life such as moral authority, social privilege, decision making, control of property, political leadership et al. It has hampered the position of the middle class working women in India in contemporary times owing to prolonged practices of the past and submissiveness of the females.

Body:

Reasons for persistence of patriarchy in our society:

• The first lessons of patriarchy are learnt in the family where the head of the family is a man/ father. Man is considered the head of the family and controls women’s sexuality, labour or production, reproduction and mobility.
• In a patriarchal family the birth of male child is preferred to that of a female.
• Patriarchal societies propagate the ideology of motherhood which restricts women’s mobility and burdens them with the responsibilities to nurture and rear children.
• Family is therefore important for socializing the next generation in patriarchal values. The boys learn to be dominating and aggressive and girls learn to be caring, loving and submissive. These stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are not only social constructs but also have been internalized by both men and
• While the pressure to earn and look after the family is more on the man, the women are supposed to do the menial jobs and take care of their children and even other members of the family. It is because of these gender stereotypes that women are at a disadvantage and are vulnerable to violence and other kinds of discriminations and injustices.
• Systemic deprivation and violence against women: rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, female feticide, infanticide, sati, dowry deaths, wife-beating, high level of female illiteracy, malnutrition, undernourishment and continued sense of insecurity keeps women bound to home, economically exploited, socially suppressed and politically passive
• Patriarchal constructions of knowledge perpetuate patriarchal ideology and this is reflected in educational institutions, knowledge system and media which reinforce male dominance.
• Patriarchal constructions of social practices are legitimized by religion and religious institutions as most religious practices regard male authority as superior and the laws and norms regarding family, marriage, divorce and inheritance are linked to patriarchal control over property biased against women
• Male dominated institutions like church and state also lay down rules regarding women’s reproductive capacity

Difference between public and private patriarchy:

Private Patriarchy: This form of patriarchy can be found in the household. It sees one individual patriarch (the dominant male) dominate and oppress the subjugated female. This acts as an exclusionary tactic as women are prevented from taking part in public discourse.

Public Patriarchy: As inferred from its name, this patriarchy operates in the public world. Most often associated with the working world, public patriarchy is the existence of oppressive factors that still function. In public life, women are more collectively separated from power, wealth, and influence than men are

In the west, there has been a shift in patriarchies. It is believed that where private patriarchy was once far more common than its public counterpart, domination of women through a male-orientated world is now more prevalent in the public realm.

Conclusion:

Gender equality, which has already been realized as quintessential for inclusive development, is also one of the 17 SDGs. The goals notwithstanding, it is our ethical responsibility to provide equal opportunity to the neglected half of the world’s population, and for this, patriarchy must make way for more equitable social systems.