Living in a Matriarchal Society
The women farmers of Côte d’Ivoire live in a traditional patriarchal society. This is not unusual. Patriarchal societies have existed throughout most of human history. Is there any alternative? How about a matriarchal society?
In a patriarchal society, men are the heads of the family and hold most of the wealth and power. Women do not have equal property rights and often lack the chance to go to school. Women struggle to become equal to men.
Try to imagine a society in which women are not only equal to men but are also in complete control, a society in which women are honored and placed at the center: a matriarchal society.
Actually, the earliest societies may have been matriarchal. The shift toward patriarchal society began about 3000 B.C. In the myths of ancient Greece, women held the highest status, like that of goddesses and warriors, equal to any man.
However, that is ancient history and myth. How about today and reality? You might be surprised to know that there are still matriarchal societies in the world today.
Among them are the Mosuo people in China. There are about 40,000 Mosuo, and they live in a matriarchal society. Women are in charge of almost everything. Property is handed down through the female line. Mosuo women don’t marry in the usual sense. A young woman does not wait for a young man; she chooses her partner by walking to his house. The Mosuo call it a “walking marriage.” The couple doesn’t live together. Men continue to live with their mothers. In Mosuo society, the matriarch runs the large household and is in charge of everything.
Matriarchy like that of the Mosuo is an interesting idea, but not many people want to establish such a matriarchy in the modern world. Most of us hope for a just society, in which women and men work together, help one another, and enjoy equal status.
The women farmers of Côte d’Ivoire live in a traditional patriarchal society. This is not unusual. Patriarchal societies have existed throughout most of human history. Is there any alternative? How about a matriarchal society?
In a patriarchal society, men are the heads of the family and hold most of the wealth and power. Women do not have equal property rights and often lack the chance to go to school. Women struggle to become equal to men.
Try to imagine a society in which women are not only equal to men but are also in complete control, a society in which women are honored and placed at the center: a matriarchal society.
Actually, the earliest societies may have been matriarchal. The shift toward patriarchal society began about 3000 B.C. In the myths of ancient Greece, women held the highest status, like that of goddesses and warriors, equal to any man.
However, that is ancient history and myth. How about today and reality? You might be surprised to know that there are still matriarchal societies in the world today.
Among them are the Mosuo people in China. There are about 40,000 Mosuo, and they live in a matriarchal society. Women are in charge of almost everything. Property is handed down through the female line. Mosuo women don’t marry in the usual sense. A young woman does not wait for a young man; she chooses her partner by walking to his house. The Mosuo call it a “walking marriage.” The couple doesn’t live together. Men continue to live with their mothers. In Mosuo society, the matriarch runs the large household and is in charge of everything.
Matriarchy like that of the Mosuo is an interesting idea, but not many people want to establish such a matriarchy in the modern world. Most of us hope for a just society, in which women and men work together, help one another, and enjoy equal status.