Are there cultures in which women are in charge? Yes, that’s where matriarchal societies are

The matriarchy it is an organization of society within which the women they maintain a higher degree of power compared to men in all or almost all aspects of social and political life. It’s the opposite of patriarchy (in which power is predominantly in the hands of men) e it should not be confused with the matrilineality. In matrilineal societies, in fact, the lineage it is transmitted through the female line, but it is not certain that women hold social and political power. The matriarchal societiesin which women are in charge, despite having significant role models in the world, they are significantly fewer than patriarchal ones and for this and other reasons they often remain little recognized and marginalized. Some examples known of matriarchal societies in history are the Mosuo (China), i Minangkabau (Indonesia), i Bribri (Costa Rica), i Khasi (India) and the Iroquois (North America).

What is a matriarchal society and the difference with matrilineal descent

Before finding out where the major matriarchal societies are located, it is necessary to clarify what does it mean to establish a matriarchy and what is the difference (clear on paper, but much more nuanced in reality) between matrilineal descent societies and matriarchal societies, which in short lies in the degree of control and power exercised by women.

In matrilineal societies there lineage el’inheritance they come transmitted through asingle (unilinear) female line. In this sense, children belong to the mother’s clan and properties and knowledge are transmitted from mother to daughter. However, this does not imply that women necessarily have political or social control in the community. In fact, even in matrilineal contexts, it is often men who maintain leadership roles, despite being within a female line of descent.

The matriarchyhowever, goes beyond a mere question of descent. In fact, inside there is a system of power governed by women in all aspects of social, political and economic life. In a matriarchal society, women not only pass on inheritance and family ties, but also hold decision-making control, directing governance and management of community resources.

Where matriarchy exists: a list of the most matriarchal societies

While the distinction between matrilineal and matrilineal societies seems clear in theory, in practice it is much more nuanced and difficult to draw precisely. The following examples, organized in ascending order from the most matriarchal society to the least matriarchalshow how complex it is to label a company within these two models, even though they are theoretically distinct. Their characteristics often overlap and interact in ways that make unambiguous classification difficult.

1. Mosuo, China: the Mosuo community, located in the province of Yunnannear Lugu Lake, is one of the most cited examples of purely matriarchal society. Women are in fact at the center of family life and have control over properties and the economic and political decisions of the community. There lineage it is also matrilinealchildren take their mother’s surname, marital relationships are very flexible, practicing a form of “visit wedding”in which romantic relationships do not involve cohabitation of partners, and the nuclear family is led by older woman.
2. Minangkabau, Indonesia: the Minangkabau company of West Sumatra is recognized to be the largest matrilineal community in the world. Minangkabau women are responsible for passing down family lands and assets across generations, and economic power within the family is firmly in female hands. Although women play a fundamental role in the social structure and have a strong influence in family and community decisions, the political government it usually is male.
3. Bribri, Costa Rica: The Bribri, an indigenous population of Costa Rica, are organized according to a matrilineal descent. Women hold control of the lands and have a central role in religious practices and in the transmission of knowledge but the political power formal is often shared with men.
4. Khasi, India: the Khasi, a community located in the state of Meghalaya, in northeast Indiathey follow one matrilineal descentin which possessions and kinship are passed down through the female line. There older woman of a family represents significant authority and it is his responsibility to manage the properties, but men usually hold the high-level political roles. Despite this, women remain at the center of the social and cultural life of the community.
5. Iroquois, North America: in the Iroquois Confederacy (which includes indigenous groups such as the Seneca, Mohawk, and Onondaga), women have played a significant role in traditional governance. The Iroquois companies were matrilinealwith descent and ownership passed down through the female line. Older women, known as “mothers of the clan”they had the power to appoint and remove male leaders from their political offices, playing a key role in the decision-making process, despite being formally excluded from it.

Because patriarchy is much more widespread than matriarchy

The greater diffusion of patriarchy compared to matriarchy is due to a series of complex historical, cultural and social reasons. Patriarchal structures have consolidated over the centuries religious, legal and political institutions that have systematically given power to men. This male dominance is rooted in a long tradition of norms and values ​​that have privileged male roles in leadership, ownership and management of resources.

In the West, in particular, the patriarchy it was further consolidated by the spread of monotheistic religious ideologies and the evolution of economic and political structures such as the capitalism and the colonialism. These factors have not only strengthened male dominance but also contributed to its expansion through imperialism and colonization, imposing their own social and familial power dynamics on other cultures and territories. In this context, patriarchal societies have had the ability to spread and prevail globally.

On the other hand, matriarchal societies, although they exist and have considerable influence within their communities, have often been marginalized and less documented. Their global visibility has been limited, partly due to the dominance of patriarchal structures that have hindered their expansion and recognition. Additionally, matriarchal societies tend to be smaller and more isolated, making it harder for them to have a global impact comparable to patriarchal ones.

In conclusion, while patriarchy has dominated for centuries, matriarchal and matrilineal societies offer a glimpse into alternative models of power and social organization. Although rarer and less documented, these societies show that control and authority are not necessarily linked to the male gender.