patriarcal

Patriarcal is an adjective used to describe social, political, economic, and familial structures in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of leadership, authority, and control over property and resources. In patriarcal systems, gender norms often position men at the center of decision-making and position women and other genders in subordinate roles. The term is commonly used in sociology, anthropology, and gender studies to analyze patterns of male dominance within institutions and everyday life.

The word derives from earlier terms such as patriarchy, with roots in Greek and Latin that refer to rule by fathers or male leaders. In scholarly usage, patriarcal emphasizes the characteristic organization of a society or institution around male authority rather than focusing on individual actors.

Common features associated with patriarcal arrangements include patrilineal inheritance (property and lineage traced through the male line), patrilocal residence (wives living with or near the husband’s family), formal and informal norms that privilege male authority, and a gendered division of labor that concentrates public power and decision-making among men while limiting access and agency for women and other genders. Legal, religious, and cultural institutions have historically reinforced these patterns, though the strength and expression of patriarcal norms vary widely across societies and eras.

Variation exists across cultures and historical periods. Some communities exhibit stronger patriarchal norms, while others integrate mechanisms that mitigate male dominance, such as matrilineal kinship or greater female participation in public life. Contemporary analyses often explore how patriarcal structures persist, transform, or intersect with race, class, and other axes of inequality, and how feminist movements seek to challenge and change them.