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English Articles
Prof. Prajakta S. Raut

Patriarchy is a Pillar of Social Inequality

Prof. Prajakta S. Raut, Head, Department of English, Abhinav Degree College, Bhayander (E), Mumbai.

This Essay was Awarded the Second Prize in the
‘All India Dharam S. Hinduja Essay Writing Competition for Lecturers’

“One is not born but rather becomes a woman. It is the civilization as a whole that produces
this creature which is described as feminine.
- Simone de Beauvoir, ‘The Second Sex’ (1949)

“ I walk with my head held high against all odds. I am never afraid to walk the least treaded paths.
I know that society gets a series of hiccups with my moves. But I am tall enough to stand for myself and my choices.
- Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994 from India

Introduction:
As one is aware of, in this era of the twenty-first century where scientific and technological advancement has become the
order of the day, the talk of gender equality viz. there is nothing like gendering of labour and they can do man's work is
getting buzzed in the intellectual circle, maladies like female infanticide and honour killings are still running rampant in
Indian society and mega cities like Mumbai and Delhi are no exception to it. So the terms like 'Women Empowerment',
'Feminism' or 'Bashing Patriarchy' are all the rage and roar even today. No doubt, this deplorable position of women is
indicative of the patriarchal, Manu wadi dictum deeply rooted in the soil of India – 'A pervasive ideology, the power of
the fathers: a familial, social, ideological political system in which men by force, direct pressure or through rituals,
traditions, law and languages, customs, etiquettes, education and the division of labour determine what part women shall
or shall not play and in which the female is everywhere subsumed under the male.”1 Thus, underscoring the very pivot of
gender inequality.

Definition:
Derivative of the Greek words 'Patria' meaning father and 'arche' meaning 'rule', patriarchy is a condition where male
members tend to predominate powerful positions in society. In a patriarchal society, men have the primary responsibility
of and authority over their families quite contrary to matriarchy, the feminine form of patriarchy, where women are in-
Charge and the head of the family.

98 “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” (Robert Louis Stevenson)

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