Understanding Patriarchy: Arguing on Gender Imbalance

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Causes and Effects of Patriarchy
Introduction
Most communities in the diverse world associate various roles with a specific gender. For instance, household chores are usually associated with the female gender, while jobs such as mechanics and military commandants, among others, are seen as male-oriented jobs. As a result, differences in perception of the roles regarding various genders have led to the rise of feminism and masculinity and a patriarchal system in society. This paper examines the origin of the patriarchy regarding possible elements that must have caused it. Also, the paper illustrates how patriarchy is depicted in the contemporary world. Finally, the paper also seeks to find and explain the reasons why the system has continued to exist today and some of the impacts that it has influenced in today's world.
Causes of Patriarchy
The origin of society's patriarchal system is religion (Hooks, 1). The story of creation, for instance, elevates the male gender as a superior being compared to the female gender (Bryden and Erica 299). Though the bible claims that every human being is equal before God, the act of creating a woman to provide company to a man is a clear indication that God did not purpose to create women to be above men. In fact, to some extent, it can be argued that he did not even think of creating a woman in the first place. It only came as an afterthought. He only did so after realizing that the man was lonely. It essentially set a precedent when it came to patriarchy, as the order of creation and reasons for the same were quite clear. Therefore, by that essence, women are regarded as subordinates to men. Since this is what is taught in most churches and schools, men have been perceived as superior to females, thus resulting in patriarchy. In her work, Hooks argues that the teaching in churches that God is male and that He mandated man to rule the world while the woman was supposed to help him in this work was the origin of patriarchy (2).
Besides just the bible, teachings from parents who believe in the patriarchal system is another reason that has promoted the existence of patriarchy in the world today. Hooks argues that while she was growing up as a kid, her dad dictated most of the things that she was supposed to do and not to do (2). For instance, there are certain games that she was not supposed to play because she was a girl. Also, even though she was more substantial than her younger brother, she could not express her strength at the brother's expense, who was not expected to express any weakness in his behavior. In most societies today, it is the case, especially in Asia and Africa, where men are seen as vital, and women are weak even when the opposite is true. In the face of adversity, men are expected to show strength and courage to handle or go through these adversities, while women are often overlooked. As a result, patriarchy begins right from the home or family setup confines before going out to society and its environment.
Depiction of Patriarchy
Patriarchy can be viewed more like a socio-political construct that places more dominance and authority on men over any other thing, especially women. It gives men the right to rule over t...