source: thefiendish.com


What is patriarchy?
There are a lot of concepts to explain patriarchy, in the different ways. Nevertheless, patriarchy has 2 similar core elements, first, gender inequality and second is a degree of systematicity. The first core can be expressed as the domination of men over women. The domination here is based on the social dimension, not using biological categories. If patriarchy using biological categories, the way to overcome patriarchy is by eliminating one category it means the destruction of human species.



Patriarchy derived from patriarch, meaning: elder men. There are some definitions of patriarchy:
principle of the dominion of senior males over juniors, male as well as female, in the family, tribe or nations, allied with the reckoning of descent in the male line. (dictionary)

a set of social power relation that enable men to dominate women (sokoloff).

a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women (walby).

To sum up, patriarchy can be defined as a system of social structures and practices in which enable men dominate, oppress and exploit women as well as the domination of the older to the younger.

Walby defined 6 structures of system of patriarchy: patriarchal relations in household work, patriarchal relations in paid work, a patriarchal state, male violance, patriarchal relations in sexuality and patriarchal relations in cultural institutions.

There have been two major form of patriarchy (Walby): public and private. Private patriacrhy is based upon household production, in where a patriarch controlling women individually and directly in the relatively private sphere of the home. While public patriarchy is based on structures rather than the household.

women vs women
Patriarchy is embedded on the society and institutionalized. Ironically, sometimes women take a part on that system and oppress another women. This situation clearly defined on the relationship between mother in law and daughter in law.

capitalism and patriarchy
Capitalism has close connection with patriarchy. There have been various ways of analyzing that relationship, depending on the degree and form of their engagement (walby). First, they become not merely symbiotic but fused into one system (Eisenstein,1979). Patriarchy provide a system of control and law and order. While capitalism provides a system of economy, in the pursuit of profit. Second, patriarchy and capitalism can be regarded as analytically distinct (Hartman, 1979). Hartmann sees patriarchal relations as the oppression of women's labor by men in the two key sites, household and paid work. Patriarchy and capitalism are mutually reinforcing system. Third, mid way position on the separation and integration of patriarchy and capitalism. Mies sees capitalism as another form of patriarchy. Patriarchy is maintained by series of structures and practices, including family, systematic violence and the expropriation of women's labor. Capitalist-patriarchy is the current system which maintains women's oppression.


the end of patriarchy?

Mann (1986) has argued that patriarchy no longer exist, although there is still gender inequality. This assumption comes because he defines a patriarchal society as one which power is held by male head of households, there is a clear separation between private and public in the spheres of life. Walby countered that argument, that key element of patriarchy is systematically structured gender inequality.

I totally agree with Walby, the important key of patriarchy are the structures and practices in where women are oppressed. Until today, we still see that condition.

References
Walby, Patriarchy and Economic Development: Women's Position at the end of the Twentieth Century, 1996, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Patricia Uberoi, Problems with Patriarchy: Conceptual Issues in Anthropology and Feminism in S.Rege (ed), Sociology of Gender, the Challenge of Feminist Sociological Knowledge, 2003, Sage Pub