Contemporary Patriarchy in America: Examining "The Gender Knot"

According to Johnson, patriarchy is a system in which we all participate, whether we choose to or not, whether we realize it or not. It is a system of dominance and control that has the primary characteristics of being male dominated, male identified, male centered, and obsessed with control. These are all characteristics that are cleverly hidden in plain sight and it takes an educated eye to realize the depths to which these characteristics intrude upon our lives.

Our society is male dominated in the sense that we equate powerful positions with maleness and expect, and at times insist, to see men in governmental or societal positions where power is wielded. We expect our president to be male. We expect our doctors, our lawyers, our Supreme Court judges, our CEOs, even our spiritual officials all to be male. Even in situations where there is not a clear 'head' or leader, we define as the leader the male or males of that group. Take the family, for example. Society dictates that there must be a head of that household. Patriarchy and its male dominated nature dictate that the head of household should be the male of the family, the father and husband. But male dominance doesn't stop there. It doesn't just create in us the assumption that people in power are always and should always be male; it creates a doubt in us that those who are not male can possibly handle the rigors and responsibilities associated with that power. So, when the occasional woman is able to break through the glass ceiling and attain a highly respected and powerful office, her ability is called into question. Not because she has any fewer qualifications for the job, but simply because she is not male and we have learned to confuse the position with the person in the position. Male dominance muddles the line between the individual who fills the position and the position that actually wields the power. Thus, without realizing it, we begin to believe that one of the qualifications for holding a position of power is, in fact, maleness. When that one quality is not present, we begin to question whether or not the individual is capable of such lofty aspirations.