People often hear the word “patriarchy” and understand that it means ways in which men discriminate against women or have power over women. It comes from the Latin root pater arche meaning “father rules” or “men rule.” However, it is a specific way of looking at the world through the viewpoint or interests of men. Women can have a patriarchal worldview too. This is a limited view that is frequently harmful to women. Patriarchy is present in every culture worldwide.
Just such a harmful patriarchal incident occurred recently in Shanghai as reported in an article by Zhou Wenting at Asia One. The author reported that,
the municipal subway authority [posted] that “scantily clad women attract molesters”
Further the article related that many women protested against the posting, insisting that wearing different clothing wouldn’t stop the harassment. Nevertheless, the author failed to state what is actually crazy about the request for women to dress modestly in public in order to avoid being harassed by men (whatever “modestly” means because dress codes vary greatly from culture to culture and who decides?).
Here’s the problem: cautioning women to change their behavior (in this case their clothing) in order to minimize harassment or abuse by men is the dysfunctional and crazy view of patriarchy. Instead, the subway authority and the author should have protested the men who harass and abuse women – or anyone – and demand that men treat women, and all people, with respect.
A patriarchal view puts the onus on women to change and makes women responsible for the abusive behavior choices of men. As you can see, this is crazy and dysfunctional thinking. Rather, men are responsible for their own choices. When men don’t treat women with respect that is abusive. Abusive men must be held accountable.
While the article appeared in Asia One, it could have easily been published in this country. We often fail to see the crazy thinking of patriarchy too. Anytime we think that a woman behaved in a way that resulted in her harassment, abuse or rape we are succumbing to patriarchal thinking. If we think that a woman shouldn’t have been “out alone at night” or that she was “asking for it” or “provoking it” we are succumbing to patriarchal thinking.
People (both men and women) should be able to go out safely at night. There is no behavior that ever justifies harassment, abuse or rape of one person by another. Ever.
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