There seem to be a lot self-proclaimed manly men telling the rest of us what it means to be a “good man” and a “good woman” in our society. Their vision for men is for men to always express power and control and to not show any form of weakness or what they perceive to be feminine characteristics. In their minds, men should be the leaders of the family and “strong leaders” in the domains of business and politics. Women who agree with this vision of men may to a certain extent share in some of this patriarchal power as long as they agree that their bodies are ultimately controlled by men and that their primary value comes from having children. Nothing screams patriarchy louder than equating the primary value of women with having children.

What does it say about persons who constantly hearken back to the 1950s as the “good ol’ days” when that was a time when black people’s voting rights were not protected, communities and schools were segregated, and women had no control over their own bodies and could not even get credit in their own name?

The self-proclaimed gatekeepers of manliness and masculinity are not really protecting masculinity; they are protecting patriarchal practices and structures that they believe perpetuate their power within society.

The purveyors of patriarchy are incensed about transgender persons and non-binary persons because they think they are the only ones who should define what gender is and how it should be expressed. They act like someone having preferred pronouns is something akin to the seven deadly sins. They know that if they give up their perceived power and control over gender roles and identities, it is one more brick knocked out of the wall of patriarchy. And yes, I was thinking about a certain Pink Floyd song when I wrote that last sentience. To borrow a little more from Pink Floyd, “We don’t need no patriarchy.” 

I am increasingly convinced that efforts to continue discrimination against our LGBTQIA+ siblings are much more about perpetuating patriarchy than they are about any deeply held religious convictions, and religion is simply used as an excuse or justification for continued discrimination. If your primary use of religion is to restrict the freedom of others and exercise power and control over their lives, then you are doing it wrong.

Sadly, so much religion is used to justify the perpetuation of patriarchy. Just because the authors of religious mythology lived in and were influenced by their patriarchal cultures does not mean that patriarchy is divinely intended. And just an FYI, nowhere is Jesus portrayed in the Gospels as saying the inherent worth of a person or their value to the community is related their having children. Plenty of patriarchal Christian nationalists say this, but Jesus never did.

When persons conform to the expectations of cultural patriarchy for their self understanding and self-expression, they are losing opportunities for the full expression of their freedom and personhood. With a massive gender gap in both economics and politics, patriarchy is not only holding us back as individuals; it is keeping us from becoming a fully free and flourishing society. As a country, we are ranked 43rd in the world in relation to gender equality in pay, and in relation to political representation, “The United States has fallen behind most established democracies with respect to women’s representation in politics. Women remain underrepresented at the federal, state, and local levels.” When women run for office in the United States, they are elected at a similar rate as in other established democracies, but fewer women in the United States are actually running for office as compared to the other established democracies. We know that election reforms like public financing of elections and ranked choice voting have proven to increase gender equality in political representation, but as a nation we have failed to embrace such reforms on a widespread level (positive note: there is currently momentum for ranked choice voting in many states and municipalities).

It is not an accident that the most vibrant democracies in the world are also the least patriarchal countries in the world. The happiest, healthiest, most educated, least corrupt, and most democratic countries in the world are also the least patriarchal. And it should be noted that the purveyors of patriarchy are quite willing to switch to more autocratic political methods of control as it becomes more difficult to perpetuate patriarchy through democratic means.

So much of patriarchy is about money and power. Ever notice how patriarchal the oligarchs of the world are? Patriarchy and oligarchy are both about concentrating power and wealth, primarily in the hands of men. So much of our politics is simply about rich men on power trips wanting to become richer men with even more power. 

The evidence is clear. Patriarchy is a problem. Patriarchy is the enemy of a free and flourishing democracy, and countries that are shedding their patriarchy are far better off than those who are clinging to patriarchy. So in conclusion and once again borrowing a few words and a sentiment from Pink Floyd, with apologies to the grammar police, “We don’t need no patriarchy.” May we all find ways to take another brick out of the wall of patriarchy for the freedom and flourishing of all.