Angela Saini is an award-winning science journalist. Her earlier books have addressed the flashpoint issues of our times, such as race and gender, and now she turns her telescopic eye onto the patriarchy, the social construct that determines power and entitlement in every culture of the world. Saini's research is staggering-this book has 52 pages of notes and citations-her sources and resources include sociology, anthropology, the human sciences, politics, philosophy, history, museums, monuments, significant buildings and geographies. Her connected essays are studded with references and quotations, all throwing light on the way the patriarchy developed and was sustained across time and space.&nbsp;She argues, however, that how the patriarchy operates depends on who and where we are.
Although this is not news, it bears noticing again that traditional and indigenous societies and cultures have always had more equitable power relations between people, whether through matrilineal systems of inheritance and status (as in Kerala and India's Northeast) or through active, and often leading, roles in the political life of the community (as with many First Nations in North America). As we read Saini's essays, it's hard to ignore the growing conviction that it was the civilising conceits of colonialism and the heady rush of capitalism that cemented the patriarchal systems that dominate the modern world. Saini reminds us that the patriarchy is also maintained by the fact that women have been persuaded to internalise its most fundamental brutalities and see it as 'natural' or even as inevitable. As a result, we support it without being conscious of how our actions and behaviours enable it.
<img style="width: 123px;" src="https://cdn.magzter.com/India Today/1700218077/articles/otOg2Qldd1700228058648/rDfebxQlX1700228138332.jpg" height="299">
From the long fight for women's right to vote to the demand for gender parity in pay structures, there has always been resistance and pushback.&nbsp;Women have used everything that was available&nbsp;to them from polite pleas and moral suasion to strident demands-as we sought both equality and equity. The fact that we can now speak of the rights of all oppressed groups and not the condescension of privileges generously bequeathed to women shows how far we have come from the early discourse of how entitled men should behave towards those around them.
Despite all that we have gained, there is surely none among us who will say our battles have been conclusively won, that there is nothing more that we need and deserve. Saini suggests that the patriarchy is vulnerable and calls on us to create new paradigms of thought and action if we want to upturn it. I believe that our new narratives have begun. We have understood that the patriarchy is responsible for far greater aggressions and oppressions than those against women alone. Our new strength, renewed energy and paradigm shifts will lie in a wider collective resistance, in solidarities that work across boundaries of hierarchy, gender and identity. In fact, our enemy is the same.

The World of Men

English

Spanish(español)

Bengali(বাঙালি)

Gujarati(ગુજરાતી)

Hindi(हिन्दी)

Malayalam(മലയാളം)

Tamil(தமிழ்)

Telugu(తెలుగు)

Download your favorite titles and read them offline, anytime and anywhere

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines and newspapers from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from {{magCount}}+ best-selling international titles.

Name

Please fill out this form if you need any help regarding publishing your content on Magzter

Since we launched, Magzter has been committed to partnering with global organizations to provide the greatest possible newsstand technology & service to our customers. Whether you are looking to offer magazine subscriptions to your customer database or just want to learn more, Magzter is committed to helping your business grow. To find out more, please fill out the questionnaire below: