Patriarchy Ideology and Practice

Gender and Sexuality ANTH 2301 Patriarchy: Ideology and Practice Jennifer Hasty, the chapter's author, considers what she discovered about gender ideology while working as a wedding videographer: From 2010 until 2017, I had my own wedding videography company in the Philadelphia metropolitan region as a side project to my anthropological profession. Despite the fact that the entire endeavour was motivated by financial need (I was a part-time teacher), the wedding business proved to be an interesting lens through which to observe gender interactions in American culture. The woman usually put a lot of thought into planning the wedding, and the husband either respected her decisions or didn't participate at all. My minimalist, artistic style of filmmaking tended to draw middle-class professionals as brides, who were mostly recent college graduates pursuing jobs in teaching, finance, law, or medicine. Numerous of these weddings were elaborate celebrations of middle-class fashion and identity symbols. Despite the fact that my brides were educated and employed in professional capacities, almost all of them stuck to gender-traditional customs while organising their "special day." Though several of women had been living with their grooms (and some had even had children with them), almost all of them wore long white wedding dresses, a symbol of virginal purity. Almost all of them believed that their dads had "given them away," even though the fathers had been gone for a significant portion of their upbringing as a result of divorce. One bride, whose father was not there, used the strong idea of being a gift given to the groom in her own vows, declaring, "I give myself in marriage to you." This language of human gift-giving was not used by grooms or their families. The idea that a woman moves from her father's paternalistic realm to her groom's care and supervision represents a broader gender ideology on the roles that men and women play in families. A cohesive collection of beliefs regarding gender roles, relationships, norms, behaviours, and goals is known as a gender ideology. These concepts are ingrained in the political, religious, economic, and family structures, among other social domains. Similar to race and class ideologies, people frequently participate in the institutionalised forms of gender ideology while actively challenging its explicit meanings. Despite the significant progress women have achieved in American public life over the past few decades, they continue to perpetuate a gender ideology at marriage by positioning themselves as objects of dependence shared between males. Gender ideology has potency because it often functions at a level below consciousness. From past examinations of the word, you will remember that an ideology that passes for "common sense" eventually becomes hegemonic. A common gender paradigm known as patriarchy places males in charge of both private and public life. The oldest man in the family is acknowledged as the head of the home, planning the dependent women's and children's activities and controlling their conduct. Senior men oversee the family's financial and land resources. Women submit to decisions made by males. males are assigned leadership roles outside the home, while women are expected to act as marginalised subordinates who provide support and opportunities for males. The emergence of capitalism in Europe throughout the 1600s is associated with the current manifestations of patriarchy in both American and European settings. The home was referred to as a private sphere and the realm of political and economic activity as the public sphere, as economic activity migrated from houses into factories and offices. Women were supposed to stay in the private realm of the home and fulfil the caring responsibilities of being mothers and wives. In addition to ruling the domestic realm, men also engaged in the competitive and occasionally hazardous public realm. Across the world, patriarchy has taken on various forms. Women's subjugation in patriarchal social structures has increased in India as a result of the growth of agriculture and the establishment of the state (Bonvillain 1995). Social structure and patriarchal ideology have roots in the Vedic era (1500–800 BCE). Men ruled the political and economic sectors in the Vedic societies of ancient India, with women mostly kept out of these domains. However, as mothers in their homes, women might assume some positions of responsibility. Despite not being favoured, girl children were often treated nicely. Both boys and girls received an education and took part in religious activities. Although women were expected to remain virgins and faithful, they were also free to have extramarital affairs and file for divorce from their spouses. Wives and daughters, on the other hand, were legally reliant on the males in their life to make decisions for them. Property could not be inherited by a woman unless she was the only child. With the methodical compilation of Hindu law in the post-Vedic era, patriarchy was reinforced. With the rise of child marriage, beatings of wives, female infanticide, and the defacement and ritualistic killing of widows, patriarchy became even more entrenched in society. Islamic traditions of veiling and isolating women severely marginalised women in both Muslim and Hindu societies when Islam conquered India in the 12th century. Despite the ethnic and religious diversity of modern India, patriarchy has taken on a prominent organisational role in Indian society. Large extended family homes based on patrilineal lineage are common in rural settings. A married couple, their sons and their families, and their single daughters make up these families. Men are acknowledged as the heads of their houses, ruling over their spouses and kids. Men are assigned to work as farmers and dealers under the division of labour, which helps the family buy food. Women tend to labour in the house, however occasionally they assist with agricultural tasks like harvesting and weeding. A reform movement in the 19th century demanded the end of numerous patriarchal traditions, including child marriage and sati, or the ritualistic killing of widows. The majority of reformers were affluent men and women who supported educating girls and allowing women to inherit legally. As a result, sati was made illegal, widows were permitted to get married again, the age of marriage was set at twelve, and women were granted the right to divorce, inherit, and own property. The Indian state enacted legislation to improve women's equality in a number of domains, including as work, inheritance, and education, in the later half of the 20th century. These measures have helped urban women from middle-class and upper-class backgrounds. Nonetheless, many of the patriarchal traditions that the state has forbidden are still followed in rural regions.