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Historically and anthropologically, it seems like most cultures tend to be patriarchal or lean towards patriarchy. A smaller number of cultures are matriarchal or have matriarchal elements.

This is relevant because now, with the influence of feminism and the rise of single motherhood, there are elements of matriarchy in our society. If there is no father in the home, the father does not rule in the home, and if there is no father in the home for multiple generations, this leads to a matriarchal experience in that family.

Our culture gave a lot of power to women when it gave them the vote. Men left for war after they got the vote. Women voted in prohibition, which led to the rise of the mafia. Eventually, radical women joined together in political causes which they considered to be pro-female, in many cases at the expense of men in society. Family law is skewed against men. Even worse, it is socially acceptable to make anti-male comments and to have disrespect for men. The culture stigmatizes the idea of men being in control in their own homes. This is not good for men, women, or for the children being raised in this culture.

I am wondering, how can this situation be reversed. I do not have a clear soluation worked out, but I am going to share some thoughts about matriarchal cultures I am aware of.

The Cherokee, I have read, had a somewhat matriarchal culture, as did some of the other 'civilized tribes' of the eastern United States. Women passed on property in the Cherokee tribes, and the child was a member of his mother's family. Children stayed with the mother and the most important men in a boys life may have been his maternal uncles. The English settlers used to joke about the Cherokee men that their wives beat them. When they would meet to discuss a treaty or other issues, the English men were ready to decide, but the Cherokee men said they would have to discuss the issue with their wives first. The English thought this was strange. What happened to the Cherokee and other tribes? More aggressive Anglos defeated them in a number of wars and drove them out to Oklahoma. I don't know if they got rid of their matriarchal ways or not, but their culture was for the most part displaced from their native land.

I can think of two other cultures that I believe to be matriarchal, both from Sumatra. One is the Aceh culture. I read that inheritance is passed through the female line, and that in a marital dispute, a man can be ejected from the house. The Padang are also matriarchal in terms of inheritance. I knew a man from a Padang family that said that his family on his mother's side was from the king's family. A man would be king, but it followed the female line, and some group decided which candidate would be king. Traditionally, the property is passed through the female line, and men go travel around, open shops, or whatever to earn their own money since they do not get an inheritance.

In both of these cases, it seems Islam pushes back to some degree against the matriarchy. But even after centuries of Islam, it has not wiped out matriarchy. The Acehnese are actually quite radical, sort of like the Saudi Arabia of Indonesia, a province that actually practices a form of Syariah. The Padang have a deeply Islamic sense of identity as a people-group. But even Islam has not wiped out matriarchy.

I am just wondering if any of you know historical or contemporary examples of matriarchy being wiped out, culturally, or overturned? How does a society swing back toward patriarchy? I have read about Roman women having a lot of power and influence at different times during the empire. Maybe some of you know a bit about ancient Roman culture who can share how that changed? Certainly, it must have changed between the time of the empire and the middle ages. Was it Barbarians attacking Rome and dismantling social structures? Does a conqueror have to come in and overturn society for matriarchy to be erradicated or minimized?

No one has an opinion on whether feminism will only be eventually overturned by some kind of revolution or equally painful type of social upheaval?

MrMan wrote: ↑

October 18th, 2018, 12:03 pm

No one has an opinion on whether feminism will only be eventually overturned by some kind of revolution or equally painful type of social upheaval?

Feminism is a non-productive hateful ideology operating often by using shaming language and out of victim-status. Feminism depends financially from other sources, like public funds, extortion from companies (claiming discrimination) and from individual men (usually divorced with children)... feminism has also race and status related problems, most feminists are white, US-UK-Australia based and are financially fairly good off while there is no consideration for poor women and girls at all.

I do not think feminism will be overturned, it will disappear by itself - no money coming in from somewhere and feminism cannot exist.
Governments and companies are getting more and more reluctant to sponsor costly feminist issues. There will be no revolution, feminism will earlier or later facing bankruptcy. Feminism is a destructive ideology which will finally destroy itself.

I hope feminism errodes away.

But I would imagine some of these matriarchal cultures lasted for quite a while. The east coast 'civilized tribal' cultures may have been fairly new, developing out of the aftermath of a dessimation of the population that occured after De Soto brought the Spanish diseases with him throughout the Southestern United States. But we do not know if the preceeding culture was matriarchal or not. I would imagine Padang culture had been matriarchal for centuries.

The 'civilized tribes' cultures were nearly wiped out out more patriarchal whites...with guns and technology, came in and became more populous than they were, fought with them and drove the survivors out west. Then that white culture became less patriarchal.

But these matriarchal cultures may not have been destructive as modern feminism.