Patriarchy

noun (uncountable and countable)

/ˈpeɪtriɑːki/

A social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property, with women being largely excluded from such roles. In Indian society, patriarchy manifests in the persistence of son preference (sex ratio at birth: 929 girls per 1000 boys, Census 2011), domestic violence, unequal inheritance practices, and male dominance in public institutions. Feminist scholarship distinguishes between kinship-based patriarchy (within family) and public patriarchy (in institutions).

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The Sabarimala judgment (Indian Young Lawyers Association v. State of Kerala, 2018) challenged patriarchal religious norms by holding that the exclusion of women of menstruating age violated their fundamental right to dignity under Article 21.

Synonyms

male dominanceandrocentrismmale chauvinismsexism (partial)phallocentrism

Antonyms

matriarchyegalitarianismgender equalityfeminism

🌱 Word Family

patriarch (noun), patriarchal (adjective), patriarchalism (noun), patriarchically (adverb), patriarchate (noun)

🔡 Root

Greek patēr (genitive patros) = father + -arkhia = rule, governance; literally 'rule of the father'

📜 Etymology

From Late Latin patriarchia, itself from Greek patriarkhēs — patēr (father) and arkhein (to rule). Originally used in a narrowly Biblical sense to denote the ancient Hebrew patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob). Its sociological meaning — a system of male dominance — was developed by feminist theorists in the 1970s, particularly Kate Millett in Sexual Politics (1970), who applied the term to describe structural male power across societies.

🧠 Memory Hook

PATRI = father (same root as 'paternal', 'patron', 'patriarch'). ARCHY = rule (same as in monarchy, anarchy, democracy). PATRIARCHY = FATHER'S RULE, extended to mean ALL MEN'S RULE over society. A patriarch is the head of a family — patriarchy scales that up to the whole society.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Mains 2014 · GS1 · 10 marks — Indian Society

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Patriarchy” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation