matriarchy
noun
- social system in which females hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑː.ki/ / /ˈmeɪ.tɹiˌɑɹ.ki/
noun
Etymology: Coined after patriarchy, from Latin māter (“mother”) and Ancient Greek ἄρχω (árkhō, “to rule”). By surface analysis, matri- + -archy.
- A social system in which the mother is head of household, having authority over men and children, and lineage is traced through the female line.
“The difficulty is that when a man thinks of matriarchy, he thinks of a patriarchy with women in the place of men; he does not stop to consider that matriarchy may be a complete mirror-image. Where patriarchy establishes law, matriarchy establishes custom; where patriarchy establishes military power, matriarchy establishes religious authority; where patriarchy encourages the aresteia of the individual warrior, matriarchy encourages the tradition-bound cohesion of the collective. When, therefore, one envisions a matriarchy, one should not conjure up visions of a gang of Amazons lopping off breasts and testicles to rule by force of arms.”
- A system of government by females (particularly as a kind of polity).
- The dominance of women in social or cultural systems.