Understanding patriarchy in feminist debate

Patriarchy literally means the rule of the father or the “patriarch”. However, patriarchy is a problematic word as it has a narrow, traditional meaning - not necessarily the one feminists give it. In its narrow meaning patriarchy refers to the system, historically derived from Greek and Roman law, in which the male head of the household had absolute legal and economic power over his dependent female and male family members. People using the term in this sense often imply a restricted historicity for it. Patriarchy in its wider definition means the manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance over women and children in the family and the extension of male dominance over women in society in general. The important tools in the practice of male oppression are the ideologies at work in masculine definitions of gender and sexuality, a hegemonic process facilitated by the fact that social, economic and political institutions are in male hands.