Matriarchy

//ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A social system in which the mother is head of household, having authority over men and children, and lineage is traced through the female line. countable, uncountable

    "The difficulty is that when a man thinks of matriarchy, he thinks of a patriarchy with women in the place of men; he does not stop to consider that matriarchy may be a complete mirror-image. Where patriarchy establishes law, matriarchy establishes custom; where patriarchy establishes military power, matriarchy establishes religious authority; where patriarchy encourages the aresteia of the individual warrior, matriarchy encourages the tradition-bound cohesion of the collective. When, therefore, one envisions a matriarchy, one should not conjure up visions of a gang of Amazons lopping off breasts and testicles to rule by force of arms."

  2. 2
    a form of social organization in which a female is the family head and title is traced through the female line wordnet
  3. 3
    A system of government by females (particularly as a kind of polity). countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    The dominance of women in social or cultural systems. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Coined after patriarchy, from Latin māter (“mother”) and Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō, “I rule”). By surface analysis, matri- + -archy.

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