How would a matriarchal society be better than what we have today?

[Mama Geek]

In the crying boys post there were a couple of comments on patriarchal and matriarchal societies. It was also implied that we would have fewer problems if we became a matriarchal society. How would this actually look? How would the problems change? Would things be better or worse and why? Please try to keep this thread from being shut down. Let's all play nice, I am really curious about this because I can't even imagine the outcome.

[Garga]

Hmmm...streets made of gold? World peace? Who knows!

 

Good question, but I don't know enough about how matriarchal societies have worked in the past to extrapolate how they might work in the future or on a large scale. Surely, someone here on the hive has an opinion.

[Punchie]

It would be interesting to see how different it would be. I don't know if it would be any nicer. I mean, have you ever worked in a female-dominated job? The job I had before my current one was all female (except for the owner), and it was the worst work envrionment I had ever been in. Catty and petty to the extreme. Also, when they first intregrated girls into my military school, they put them all together in one troop. I remember hearing horror stories from girls who had started out in that troop as to how mean/evil the girls in charge could be. It was one of the reasons they integrated the girls into the all-male troops faster.

 

I know these are segregated examples, but it's still something to keep in mind.

[Impish]

Well, according to Robin Williams, there wouldn't be any wars, just every 28 days some really intense negotiations. And women wouldn't make bombs to kill anyone, just make them feel really bad for a while! :lol:

[emubird]

The Chalice and the Blade (Riane Eisler) was a book about societies changing from more egalitarian to more male dominated in prehistory. Most of her science is considered to be a bit questionable by other experts, but it might be interesting to look at.

 

But Eisley wasn't postulating a matriarchy. She supposed that there was more equality between the sexes.

[smrtmama]

Less war, better healthcare, including superior maternity care, equal pay for men and women, businesses that don't treat time off for raising children as an excuse to start you over at the bottom, drastic reduction in rape and domestic violence.

[jplain]

In the book Half the Sky, the authors comment briefly on how third world communities change when women are given more power. If I recall correctly, more money is spent on infrastructure, the savings rate is higher, more money is spent on education, and more is spent on health care. Less money is spent on things like banana beer and cigarettes.

 

This book is a great read, and if your library doesn't have it, Amazon's price is a steal.

 

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

[Peela]

I made a comment on that thread about patriarchy, but I never meant to imply at all that matriarchy would be a better option. Just that we have been through more than 2000 years of patriarchy and there is a rebalancing happening which sometimes swings to the other extreme.

Matriarchy might be better- for a while. But wouldn't we just be better off working together and honouring and respecting each other?

I would rather have balance. At the moment...the feminine is still not completely honoured and allowed in both men and women.

[Mama Geek]

I think that honor and respect can and do exist in a patriarchy. If I had to classify my family, that is what we would be. My guess is that might also be the case in a matriarchy as well at least at the family level.

 

I don't think honor and respect are exclusive from that.

[justamouse]

Read THE FALL by Steven Taylor.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Insanity-Human-History-Dawning/dp/1905047207/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1287761690&sr=8-10

[justamouse]

Less war, better healthcare, including superior maternity care, equal pay for men and women, businesses that don't treat time off for raising children as an excuse to start you over at the bottom, drastic reduction in rape and domestic violence.

 

:iagree:

[pqr]

We do not, today, live in a true patriarchal society, but as long as there are men a matriarchal society is a simple impossibility.

 

If by patriarchal one means complete male dominance then the opposite simply could not occur. It is no compliment to men to state that they would not stand for it, but it is a fact. We tend to be more aggressive, much more and I fail to see how such a form of dominanace could be long maintained. Historically I can think of few if any examples and those did not last long.

Edited October 22, 2010 by pqr

[Mama Geek]

Less war, better healthcare, including superior maternity care, equal pay for men and women, businesses that don't treat time off for raising children as an excuse to start you over at the bottom, drastic reduction in rape and domestic violence.

 

Less war - how would this be accomplished?

 

Better healthcare, including superior maternity care - It is my understanding that America has the best healthcare in the world and has for a long time. Cost of care and insurance seem to be a much bigger problem than quality of care. How would a matriarchal society make this better?

 

Equal pay for men and women - men are typically more willing to ask for raises and promotions than women are. Men have more physical strength and can do more of certain types of work. Some men are willing do jobs that most women are not willing to do. In cases where these things are relevant should pay be equal?

 

I am not convinced that in general for professional jobs that it is a problem. I have a BS in one field of engineering and my dh has a masters in a higher paying field of engineering. Over the last 10 years I have been promoted and given more pay raises. The difference in pay for us right now is almost non existant. He worked just as hard as I did, didn't have any major screw ups and is a better engineer in a lot of ways than I am. I don't feel I am underpaid relative to him.

 

So how would a matriarchal society change this?

 

Businesses that don't treat time off for raising children as an excuse to start you over at the bottom - In general businesses higher you and pay you based upon what you can do today, not what you did 10 years ago. I have engineering experience from 10 years ago that is way out of date and different from what I have been doing for the last 10 years. I can't get a job in that without starting at the bottom.

 

Should a matriarchal society change this?

 

Drastic reduction in rape and domestic violence - Domestic violence can go both ways. My db's girlfriend went to jail for attacking him. A matriarchal society would not change how physically strong a man is, how would there be a reduction of this?

 

This is an interesting topic and I am having to think, thanks for the challenge.:)

[brehon]

Hmmm...more than a decade ago I read a couple books in the "Fractal Mode" (?) series by Piers Anthony, I believe. In one of the books the protagonists were in a world which had a matriarchy. The people explained that their world cycled between patriarchy and matriarchy. In the beginning of a new cycle the rulers corrected for the excesses of the previous cycle. However, over time, the rulers became despotic and eventually there would be a revolution (or something -- it really has been a long time since I read these books) and the opposite gender would take control.

 

Knowing what I do about human nature I simply don't think there would be a marked improvement over what we have now which, as pqr said, is not (in most of the world at least) a true patriarchy. Some things might be better; some things might be worse; and, I bet, many things would remain the same or very similar to what happens now.

[Laurie4b]

I have also worked in female dominated industries. I wouldn't predict a matriarchal modern society would be much different than a patriarchal one. Some women can be really mean and domineering, just like some men. I firmly believe that "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" be it man or woman who wields it.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

I have also worked in female dominated industries. I wouldn't predict a matriarchal modern society would be much different than a patriarchal one. Some women can be really mean and domineering, just like some men. I firmly believe that "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" be it man or woman who wields it.

 

:iagree:

 

 

But on a lighter note: Except of course that there would be fewer maps because people would stop to ask for directions. ;)

[smrtmama]

Less war - how would this be accomplished?

 

I don't believe a matriarchal world would be as interested in aggression against other groups.

 

Better healthcare, including superior maternity care - It is my understanding that America has the best healthcare in the world and has for a long time. Cost of care and insurance seem to be a much bigger problem than quality of care. How would a matriarchal society make this better?

 

The US's maternal health care is horrible. It's why we have such an exceptionally high maternal death rate. Countries with more woman-centered care have higher rates of midwifery care and homebirth, higher breastfeeding rates, and lower maternal and infant death rates. Obstetrics is a male-dominated profession, relying on methods of care that benefit the doctor, not the woman. A matriarchal society would surely focus on an improvement in health care.

 

Equal pay for men and women - men are typically more willing to ask for raises and promotions than women are. Men have more physical strength and can do more of certain types of work. Some men are willing do jobs that most women are not willing to do. In cases where these things are relevant should pay be equal?

 

I am not convinced that in general for professional jobs that it is a problem. I have a BS in one field of engineering and my dh has a masters in a higher paying field of engineering. Over the last 10 years I have been promoted and given more pay raises. The difference in pay for us right now is almost non existant. He worked just as hard as I did, didn't have any major screw ups and is a better engineer in a lot of ways than I am. I don't feel I am underpaid relative to him.

 

So how would a matriarchal society change this?

 

Absolutely. Women are penalized for caring for children. Men receive no such penalty. There's a cultural expectation what women WILL provide childcare. There's a cultural expectation that a working mother, not her husband, will be the one to take off work to care for sick children. There's inadequate maternity leave. There's inadequate resources for breastfeeding/pumping. There's inadequate childcare for women who do return to work, which makes it even less likely that a woman can stay relevant in her field. There are many, many ways that women are failed by corporate America.

 

Those physical jobs you describe? Those aren't the ones with the most significant pay discrepency, though frankly, the whole 'women aren't as strong' thing is BS. I know several female police officers who are capable of laying a large man flat on his ass. One of them looks like a tiny, blonde sorority girl.

 

Businesses that don't treat time off for raising children as an excuse to start you over at the bottom - In general businesses higher you and pay you based upon what you can do today, not what you did 10 years ago. I have engineering experience from 10 years ago that is way out of date and different from what I have been doing for the last 10 years. I can't get a job in that without starting at the bottom.

 

Should a matriarchal society change this?

 

Yes.

 

Drastic reduction in rape and domestic violence - Domestic violence can go both ways. My db's girlfriend went to jail for attacking him. A matriarchal society would not change how physically strong a man is, how would there be a reduction of this?

 

This is an interesting topic and I am having to think, thanks for the challenge.:)

 

Women are disproportionately the victims of domestic violence, by a HUGE margin*. Most states have very poor DV laws, making it difficult to prosecute the offender, and poor support, making it hard for the victim to get out of the abusive relationship. A matriarchal society would make laws that actually provided some protection to the (predominately female) victims and see that law enforcement officers were trained in proper DV protocol. Most officers aren't like MY husband, who has voluntarily taken advanced training in DV law and protocol, and who understands simple things like just because both parties have an injury, doesn't mean the violence was mutual (for instance, bite and scratch marks almost always indicate defense, not attack).

 

 

 

*"While both men and women may experience incidents of inter-personal violence, women are considerably more likely to experience repeated and severe forms of violence. 32% of women who had ever experienced domestic violence did so four or five (or more) times, compared with 11% of the (smaller number) of men who had ever experienced domestic violence; and women constituted 89% of all those who had experienced 4 or more incidents of domestic violence. (Walby and Allen, 2004) "

[Mrs Mungo]

Many Native American tribes had a division of power that gave a lot of power to women but had mechanics to balance out power. I'll make a list, but keep in mind these are from a variety of tribes, not one tribe, not all tribes. Some of these were civilizations with cities, shamans, aqueducts, etc.

 

-Men often left their own families and joined their wife's tribe. She could throw him out and he had to go back to his parents. This gave men a reason to treat their wives well. Non-support and infidelity were usually deal-breakers and those men would be sent packing back to their mothers. It was considered extremely shameful.

 

-Women tended to control the food. In some tribes men were not allowed to plant, it was believed a woman's touch was necessary. In other tribes men and women worked together, but women still cooked and portioned out the food. Men ate first, women second and children last.

 

-Like many old societies, blood ties were often established by your relationship to your mother.Uncles sometimes had more parental responsibilities than a dad.

 

-Aztec women sold wares at market and were not required to share with the male of her household.

 

-Some tribes had councils of women who gave the opinion of the women of the tribe at tribal meetings. In other tribes, the men were chiefs, but the women decided who the chiefs would be and could take a chief out of power. It was believed women would be more likely to choose for the greater good.

 

-Grandmothers held the mythology of the tribe and performed certain dances and rituals, including naming children. After menopause women could be shamans in many tribes. Aztecs allowed women to be priestesses and were included in the highest offices of priesthood.

 

Women's power in these tribes was not exerted through physical force, but through the matrilineal descent and economic power.

[phathui5]

Much smaller militaries, no more of this occupying countries for years and years.

 

High priority placed on education and child welfare.

 

Parental leave for both men and women. More flexible work hours for jobs that can accomodate it.

 

The US's maternal health care is horrible. It's why we have such an exceptionally high maternal death rate. Countries with more woman-centered care have higher rates of midwifery care and homebirth, higher breastfeeding rates, and lower maternal and infant death rates. Obstetrics is a male-dominated profession, relying on methods of care that benefit the doctor, not the woman. A matriarchal society would surely focus on an improvement in health care.

 

Absolutely. The number of countries with a lower maternal and infant mortality rate is just embarassing. Countries with lower rates of maternal and infant mortality are countries where the majority of births are attended by midwives and the doctors are only called in if there is actually something medical happening.

Edited October 22, 2010 by phathui5

[fairfarmhand]

I made a comment on that thread about patriarchy, but I never meant to imply at all that matriarchy would be a better option. Just that we have been through more than 2000 years of patriarchy and there is a rebalancing happening which sometimes swings to the other extreme.

Matriarchy might be better- for a while. But wouldn't we just be better off working together and honouring and respecting each other?

I would rather have balance. At the moment...the feminine is still not completely honoured and allowed in both men and women.

 

:iagree: once again Peela you beat me to the punch.

[BMW]

I would like to think that we'd have a society that re-vamped public schools to where folks that needed that option had a decent choice... I would like to think that we'd take care of our elderly with more compassion and benefits...

and that would be based on the hope that women would be more nurturing and compassionate and these would be results... but that's just what I'd like...