What does patriarchy mean?
Patriarchy denotes a system or pattern of social organization in which men, especially senior men, hold primary authority over women and other people. It can refer to an explicitly hierarchical family structure, a political or religious institution, or the wider organization of social life in which male power is institutionalized. In contemporary scholarship, the word is often used critically to describe how apparently neutral institutions may reproduce gender inequality through laws, economic arrangements, family roles, and cultural expectations. It does not simply mean that one man is powerful or that every family has a dominant father. Nor is it a synonym for male supremacy in every context: patriarchy usually names a broader system of authority and organization, while male supremacy more directly describes an asserted superiority of men. Understanding the term helps distinguish individual prejudice from the social structures that sustain unequal power.
nounA social, political, or religious system in which authority is held by men, especially by the eldest or most senior members of a family. The term may also refer more broadly to any arrangement in which men collectively hold power over women.
- A social, political, or religious system in which power and authority are held by men, especially senior men.
- A family or other social organization structured around the authority of the male head.
- A broader pattern in which men hold disproportionate power over women.
"The reform was intended to challenge a patriarchal system that excluded women from positions of authority."
"Her research examines how patriarchy shapes access to political leadership."
"The family business retained a strongly patriarchal structure, with control passing from father to son."
The plural refers to distinct systems, organizations, or social orders organized under male authority.
"Historians have compared patriarchal systems and patriarchies across different societies."
Patriarchy literally means rule by the father, but modern usage often identifies the broader systems through which male authority is maintained.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does patriarchy come from?
Patriarchy comes through Old French and Latin from Greek patriarkhēs, a term for a ruler or founder derived from patēr, meaning “father,” and archē, meaning “rule” or “beginning.” The underlying sense was therefore “rule by the father” or “rule by a male ancestor.” It was later broadened to refer to systems in which authority follows a patriarchal structure, while cognates such as patriarch, paternal, and patrician retain related associations with the father or paternal authority.
Related word forms
How patriarchy is actually used
The term is used in sociology, politics, history, and cultural analysis. It is analytically distinct from referring to an individual patriarch and is often used critically when describing unequal gender relations.
Easily confused with patriarchy
Patriarchy is a system in which men hold primary authority, whereas matriarchy is one in which women hold primary authority.
A patriarch is a male head or senior authority figure, while patriarchy denotes the wider system or pattern of male power.