281 - Final Project - a.a.

Patriarchy as Ideology

The term "patriarchy" is relatively ambiguous in the ways it is spoken of today. In an article titled "Is the United States a Patriarchy?", Bill Rein notes that the U.S. is not a society ran by males because women are allowed, and do, serve in every level of government. However, just because patriarchy does not blatantly rule through the rules of American government, it still operates through all systems and social constructs. The United States was founded on the civilization of white men; much of this patriarchal belief derives from the religion of the time - Christianity/Puritanism. Religion is a form of ideology - so does that make patriarchy a result of religious (or cultural) ideology, or can it become its own ideological system?  

Systematically, women are not viewed to be fit for certain jobs and when they do hold positions of power, they are not as respected (as they are not as respected in general). Yes, they are not stopped from pursuing seats in Congress, running for president, becoming CEO's, etc., but men are often placed before them in those positions. There are also various known issues of the wage gap, maternity leave vs. paternity leave, the second shift in the lives of women, etc.

The ways women are systematically oppressed influences the objectification and disrespect they experience through rape culture. Being undermined in sexual experiences makes it easier to also be undermined in professional settings, and visa versa. There is also an incredible amount of sexual assault that occurs in the workplace, so these two forces of systematic oppression and the objectification of women are often interwoven. Patriarchy, though it may be a fairly ambiguous term in American society, boils down to the power that men hold over other genders.

The power of men is portrayed through the ways that perpetrators are protected in sexual assault court cases over serving justice for the victim. Institutions tend to carry attitudes insisting that “boys will be boys” or that girls must have been “asking for it.” According to Deborah Rhode in her work Speaking of Sex, these perceptions have “much to do with the longstanding family, media, and law enforcement influence that reinforce or fail to restrain male aggression” (121). Not only do men hold power, but the social constructs of masculinity lead them to seek power. Sexual assault is not about men feeling the need to satisfy sexual needs; it is about their desire for dominance and control. The masculine association with these impulses comes back to patriarchal ideology, which is represented through justifying men’s actions and disregarding the victimization of women.

Patriarchy has become its own ideology through the ways women continuously strive for equal rights. The fact there was a Women’s Rights Movement in the first place proves how much of society functions patriarchally, and this Movement remains ongoing. It has been expressed through demands for equal pay, political engagement, and currently through the demand for justice among sexual assault victims. Through these movements, patriarchy is being deconstructed and questioned; it is being made known as an ideology and all the struggles for women that have derived from it throughout history. 

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