Episode 119 - Patriarchy 101: How It Was Created and What To Do About It Now

Patriarchy is a system that has shaped our world for thousands of years, which can make unpacking the topic feel overwhelming. Today, I offer a basic overview of patriarchy with specific examples that show how we got here and how it continues to influence us today. Awareness is the key to greater power and greater choice in your life. I hope that this episode provides you with insights and practical ways to claim both. Here’s what I cover:

• The complexities of patriarchy beyond the idea that “men are in charge”
• How patriarchy was developed as a social technology in response to historical issues
• Laws and political systems that were created to entrench patriarchy in society
• How to recognize patriarchy in action in today’s society
• The ways patriarchy is internalized by people of all genders
• How humans created this system, so we can also choose to evolve beyond it

I can’t wait for you to listen!

Book Recommendations for Further Reading:

• The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner - A comprehensive historical analysis of how patriarchal systems developed and became institutionalized
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle - A powerful exploration of unlearning patriarchal conditioning and discovering your authentic self
• The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart - Examines how women are systematically undermined and taken less seriously than men across all areas of life
• bell hooks: All About Love by bell hooks - Explores how patriarchal systems damage our capacity for love and authentic connection

Research and Studies Referenced:

Archaeological evidence on egalitarian pre-agricultural societies:

• “The Gender Equality Paradox” - https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/04/16/1717312115
• National Academy of Sciences research on prehistoric gender roles - https://www.nationalacademies.org/based-on-science/prehistoric-gender-roles
• How Did Patriarchy Actually Begin?

Medical research gender bias:

• “Gender bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations” - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11441203/
• Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics study on pain treatment disparities - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/jlme.12040

The mental load research:

• Arlie Hochschild’s “The Second Shift” research - https://sociology.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/faculty/hochschild/pdf/SecondShift.pdf
• Emotional labor studies - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003122412472680

Confidence gap research:

• Kay & Shipman Harvard Business Review article - https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified
• The Atlantic confidence gap study - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/05/the-confidence-gap/359090/

Language and gender studies:

• Linguistic Society of America research - https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/language-and-gender
• Gender bias in language patterns study - https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-17914-001
• The Languages with Built-in Sexism

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