The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule
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- Author：Angela Saini
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Summary
‘I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book’ Sathnam Sanghera
In this bold and radical book， award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression， uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe。
‘By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us， we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted。’
In this bold and radical book， award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression， uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present。
Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements， analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology， and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia， she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are。
Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time， even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash。 Saini ends by asking what part we all play – women included – in keeping patriarchal structures alive， and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present。
In this bold and radical book， award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression， uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe。
‘By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us， we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted。’
In this bold and radical book， award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression， uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present。
Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements， analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology， and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia， she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are。
Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time， even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash。 Saini ends by asking what part we all play – women included – in keeping patriarchal structures alive， and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present。
Reviews
Stan Prager
，
Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality， by Angela Sainiby Stan Prager （2-28-23）t“Down With the Patriarchy” is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes， coffee mugs， tee shirts—and even， paired with an expletive， sung aloud in a popular Taylor Swift anthem。 But what exactly is the patriarchy？ Is it， as feminists would have it， a reflection of an entrenched system of male domination that defines power relationships between men and women in arenas pub Review of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality， by Angela Sainiby Stan Prager （2-28-23）t“Down With the Patriarchy” is a both a powerful rallying cry and a fashionable emblem broadcast in memes， coffee mugs， tee shirts—and even， paired with an expletive， sung aloud in a popular Taylor Swift anthem。 But what exactly is the patriarchy？ Is it， as feminists would have it， a reflection of an entrenched system of male domination that defines power relationships between men and women in arenas public and private？ Or， as some on the right might style it， a “woke” whine of victimization that downplays the equality today’s women have achieved at home and at work？ Regardless， is male dominance simply the natural order of things， born out of traditional gender roles in hunting and gathering， reaping and sowing， sword-wielding and childbearing？ Or was it—and does it remain—an artificial institution imposed from above and stubbornly preserved？ Do such patterns run deep into human history， or are they instead the relatively recent by-products of agriculture， of settled civilization， of states and empires？ Did other lifeways once exist？ And finally， perhaps most significantly， does it have to be this way？ tA consideration of these and other related questions， both practical and existential， form the basis for The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality， an extraordinary tour de force by Angela Saini marked by both a brilliant gift for analysis and an extremely talented pen。 Saini， a science journalist and author of the groundbreaking， highly acclaimed Superior: The Return of Race Science， one-ups her own prior achievements by widening the lens on entrenched inequalities in human societies to look beyond race as a factor， a somewhat recent phenomenon in the greater scheme of things， to that of gender， which—at least on the face of it—seems far more ancient and deep-seated。 To that end， in The Patriarchs Saini takes the reader on a fascinating expedition to explore male-female relationships—then and now—ranging as far back as the nearly ten-thousand-year-old proto-city Çatalhöyük in present-day Turkey， where some have suggested that female deities were worshipped and matriarchy may have been the status quo， and flashing forward to the still ongoing protests in Iran， sparked by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman detained for wearing an "improper" hijab。 There are many stops in between， including the city-states of Classical Greece， which saw women controlled and even confined by their husbands in democratic Athens， but yet celebrated for their strength and independence （of a sorts） in the rigidly structured autocracy that defined the Spartan polis。 But most of the journey is contemporary and global in scope， from Seneca Falls， New York， where many Onondaga Native American women continue to enjoy a kind of gender equality that white American women could hardly imagine when they launched their bid for women’s rights in that locale in 1848， to the modern-day states of Kerala and Meghalaya in India， which still retain deeply-rooted traditions of the matrilinear and the matriarchal， respectively， in a nation where arranged marriages remain surprisingly common。 And to Afghanistan， where the recently reinstalled Taliban regime prohibits the education of girls and mandates the wearing of a Burqa in public， and Ethiopia， where in many parts of the country female genital mutilation is the rule， not the exception。 There are even interviews with European women who grew up in the formerly socialist eastern bloc， some who look back wistfully to a time marked by better economic security and far greater opportunities for women， despite the repression that otherwise characterized the state。 I’m a big fan of Saini’s previous work， but still I still cracked the cover of her latest book with some degree of trepidation。 This is， after all， such a loaded topic that it could， if mishandled， too easily turn to polemic。 So I carefully sniffed around for manifesto-disguised-as-thesis， for axes cleverly cloaked from grinding， for cherry-picked data， and for broad brushes。 （Metaphors gleefully mixed！） Thankfully， there was none of that。 Instead， she approaches this effort throughout as a scientist， digging deep， asking questions， and reporting answers that sometimes are not to her liking。 You have to respect that。 My background is history， a study that emphasizes complexity and nuance， and mandates both careful research and an analytical evaluation of relevant data。 Both science and history demand critical thinking skills。 In The Patriarchs， Saini demonstrates that she walks with great competence in each of these disciplines。A case in point is her discussion of Çatalhöyük， an astonishing neolithic site first excavated by English archaeologist James Mellaart in the late 1950s that revealed notable hallmarks of settled civilization uncommon for its era。 Based on what he identified as figurines of female deities， such as the famous Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük that dates back to 6000 BCE， Mellaart claimed that a “Mother Goddess” culture prevailed。 The notion that goddesses once dominated a distant past was dramatically boosted by Lithuanian archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas， who wrote widely on this topic， and argued as well that a peaceful， matriarchal society was characteristic to the neolithic settlements of Old Europe prior to being overrun by Indo-European marauders from the north who imposed a warlike patriarchy upon the subjugated population。I squirmed a bit in my seat as I read this， knowing that the respective conclusions of both Mellaart and Gimbutas have since been， based upon more rigorous studies， largely discredited as wildly overdrawn。 But there was no need for such concerns， for in subsequent pages Saini herself points to current experts and the scholarly consensus to rebut at least some of the bolder assertions of these earlier archaeologists。 It turns out that in both Çatalhöyük and Old Europe， while society was probably not hierarchal， it was likely more gender-neutral than matriarchal。 It is clear that the author should be commended for her exhaustive research。 While reading of Indo-European invaders—something Gimbutas got right—my thoughts instantly went to David Anthony’s magnificent study， The Horse， the Wheel， and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World， which I read some years back。 When I thumbed ahead to the “Notes，” I was delighted to find a citation for the Anthony book！ It is soon clear that in her search for the origins of inequality， Saini’s goal is to ask more questions than insist upon answers。 Also increasingly evident is that even if it seems to have become more common in the past centuries， patriarchy is not the norm。 No， it doesn’t have to be this way。 Perhaps matriarchy did not characterize Çatalhöyük—and we really can’t be certain—but there is evidence for matriarchal societies elsewhere; some still flourish to this day。 History and events in the current millennium demonstrate that there are choices， and societies can—and we can—choose equality rather than a condition where one group is dominated by another based upon race， caste， or gender。 With all of the author’s questions and her search for answers， however， it is the journey that is most enjoyable。 In such an expansive work of science， history， and philosophy， the narrative never bogs down。 And while the scope is vast， it is only a couple of hundred pages。 I actually found myself wanting more。 If there is one area where I would caution Saini， it was in her treatment of ancient Greece。 Yes， based upon the literature， Athenian women seem to have been stifled and Spartan women less inhibited， but of the hundreds of poleis that existed in the Classical period， we really only have relevant information for a few， surviving data is weighted heavily towards the elites of Athens and Sparta， and much of it is tarnished by editorializing on both sides that reflected the antipathy between these two bitter rivals。 There is more to the story。 Aspasia， the mistress of the Athenian statesman Pericles， was a powerful figure in her own right。 Lysistrata， the splendid political satire created by the Athenian Aristophanes， smacks of a kind of ancient feminism as it has women on both sides of the Peloponnesian War denying sex to their men until a truce is called。 This play could never have resonated if the female characters were wholly imagined。 And while we can perhaps admire the status of a Spartan woman when juxtaposed with her Athenian counterpart， we must remember that their primary role in that rigid， militaristic society was to bear the sons of warriors。 tBut the station of a Spartan woman raises an interesting counterintuitive that I had hoped Saini would explore。 Why was it—and does it remain the case—that women seem to gain greater freedom in autocratic states than democratic ones？ It is certainly anachronistic to style fifth century Sparta as totalitarian， but the structure of the state seems to have far more in common with the twentieth century Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China， where despite repression women achieved far greater equality than they did in Athens or， at least until very recently， in Europe and the United States。 And I really wanted a chapter on China， where the crippling horror of foot-binding for girls was not abolished until 1912， and still lingered in places until the communist takeover mid-century。 Mao was responsible for the wanton slaughter of millions， yet women attained a greater equality under his brutal regime than they had for the thousands of years that preceded him。 tWhile she touches upon it， I also looked for a wider discussion of how conservative women can sometimes come to not only represent the greatest obstacle for women’s rights but to advance rather than impede the patriarchy。 As an American， there are many painful reminders of that here， where in decades past the antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly nearly single-handedly derailed passage of the Equal Rights Amendment。 Most recently， it was a coalition of Republican and Christian evangelical women who led the crusade that eventually succeeded in curbing abortion rights。 But then， as I wished for another hundred pages to go over all this， Saini summed up the incongruity succinctly in a discussion of female genital mutilation in Africa， citing the resistance to change by an Ethiopian girl who asserted: “If our mothers should refuse to continue cutting us， we will cut ourselves。” [p191] tIn the end， Saini’s strategy was sound。 The Patriarchs boasts a manageable size and the kind of readability that might be sacrificed in a bulkier treatise。 The author doesn’t try to say it all: only what is most significant。 Also， both the length and the presentation lend appeal to a popular audience， while the research and extensive notes will suit an academic one， as well。 That is an especially rare accomplishment these days！ Whatever preconceived notions the reader might have， based upon the title and its implications， Saini demonstrates again and again that it’s not her intention to prove a point， but rather to make you think。 Here she succeeds wonderfully。 And you get the impression that it is her intellectual curiosity that guides her life。 Born in London of ethnic Indian parents and now residing in New York City， she is a highly educated woman with brown skin， feet that can step comfortably into milieus west and east， and an insightful mind that fully embraces the possibilities of the modern world。 Thus， Saini is in so many ways ideally suited to address issues of racism and sexism。 She is still quite young， and this is her fourth book。 I suspect there will be many more。 In the meantime， read this one。 It will be well worth your time。Note: This review was based upon an Uncorrected Page Proof editionNote: I reviewed Saini’s previous book Superior here: Review of: Superior: The Return of Race Science， by Angela SainiReview of: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality， by Angela Saini – Regarp Book Blog https://regarp。com/2023/02/28/review-。。。 。。。more
The Rationalist
，
An absolutely excellent book。 It deals with one of THE big questions - given that it's not a "natural" thing in human nature for men to systematically oppress women， how and when and WHY did it actually start？ But what I loved about it most is that it's packed full of real stories， beautifully written- you feel like you meet people from ancient Turkey to modern Iran， and there is lots on US history that completely floored me and isn't widely known。 All of that makes it hugely readable。 If everyo An absolutely excellent book。 It deals with one of THE big questions - given that it's not a "natural" thing in human nature for men to systematically oppress women， how and when and WHY did it actually start？ But what I loved about it most is that it's packed full of real stories， beautifully written- you feel like you meet people from ancient Turkey to modern Iran， and there is lots on US history that completely floored me and isn't widely known。 All of that makes it hugely readable。 If everyone read this， we could finally stop having ignorant conversations about men and women's roles， and start having productive ones！ 。。。more
Monica
，
Saini seems to have pieced together insights which shine a torch on the given structure of society。 We regard patriarchy as foundational without giving it a second thought but this book presents ideas which completely subvert this。 It has changed the way that I view the role of women， and in turn， all minored groups， historically and in the present。 An absolute must-read。
Emma Hardy
，
I knew the subject matter would interest me， but the book was far too similar to a textbook and an educational piece rather than an informal non fiction read。 Too heavy for me。
The Asian Word
，
I have been an avid reader of Angela Saini’s books since her debut with Geek Nation。 I’ve always been impressed by the way she chooses a topical subject， fully researches it and produces a completely necessary book about a subject you didn’t know you would be drawn into so thoroughly。 That’s exactly what she did with The Patriarchs。I very much enjoyed reading The Patriarchs and would recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand global societies and how they’ve come to be what they are in I have been an avid reader of Angela Saini’s books since her debut with Geek Nation。 I’ve always been impressed by the way she chooses a topical subject， fully researches it and produces a completely necessary book about a subject you didn’t know you would be drawn into so thoroughly。 That’s exactly what she did with The Patriarchs。I very much enjoyed reading The Patriarchs and would recommend it to anyone wanting to better understand global societies and how they’ve come to be what they are in terms of gender relations and rule。 Saini has researched both patriarchal （and matriarchal） societies and brilliantly distilled the information into a fascinating and informative non fiction story。 I found it especially interesting to read about societies that had started as matriarchal or equal， but became patriarchal over time。Paraphrasing Sathnam Sanghera’s cover quote， I learned something new， interesting and valuable on every page。 It is essential reading for those interested in gender rule， feminism， understanding global cultural differences and the development of societies and their futures。 。。。more
Annarella
，
It's a good non fiction book that talks about an interesting topic。 There's a lot of facts， figures and myth debunking。I found it interesting but also a bit boring and text-book like at times。I learned something new， didn't always agree with the author and appreciated this work。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine It's a good non fiction book that talks about an interesting topic。 There's a lot of facts， figures and myth debunking。I found it interesting but also a bit boring and text-book like at times。I learned something new， didn't always agree with the author and appreciated this work。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Imie （mythicreader）
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AD: PR Gift from 4thEstate"The history of humankind is one of constant movement: we can see that in patterns of migration， back and forth， transporting new ideas， cultures， technologies。 But it's also the story of pressure and coercion， of people trying to get other people to do what they want。"When I saw The Patriarchs by Angela Saini on the table of books at #4thEstateLive， I knew I had to grab it。 I wanted to learn more about the history behind our society and about feminism and this seemed l AD: PR Gift from 4thEstate"The history of humankind is one of constant movement: we can see that in patterns of migration， back and forth， transporting new ideas， cultures， technologies。 But it's also the story of pressure and coercion， of people trying to get other people to do what they want。"When I saw The Patriarchs by Angela Saini on the table of books at #4thEstateLive， I knew I had to grab it。 I wanted to learn more about the history behind our society and about feminism and this seemed like a great place to start - and it was！ Exploring the science， archaeology， philosophy， anthropology and history of patriarchy， Saini is searching for the answer of how we have ended up in such a patriarchal society。 Was it genetic like some argue （the answer is Ofc not）， has it always been this way （no）， did one event cause it （no）。 This exploration into the past， with comparisons to today， explore how we've （society） put these narratives in place to explain the past without actually reading it。 You put your own beliefs on archaeological evidence when you need to go into it with a blank canvas。 We can look at our closest animal ancestors （primates） and see female primates taking charge。 We can go into the past and find evidence of matriarchal societies， there are even a few about today！ If you can't tell I learnt SO MUCH from this book。 Did you know who legalised abortion first？ Soviet Russia in 1920 （though they did revert back in 1936 🙄）。 Who was the first female prime minister？ Sirimavo Bandaranaike in Sri Lanka in 1960。 I learnt about places like Catalhöyük - an important UNESCO site that started a debate about equality in past societies and how we read archaeological evidence。 I could write a massive list of all the different societies， historical moments， scientific evidence and philosophical thought that I learnt about whilst reading this book - but it wouldn't fit in the caption。 If you're looking for a non fiction read that will fill you brain with so much wonderful facts and insight about the patriarchy and the fight against it - then this is the book for you。 It's out 2nd March。 。。。more
Morgan
，
The Patriarchs explores the history of patriarchy in various societies。 I found the sections about the Çatalhöyük and the US/ USSR very interesting。 Overall， I found this a quick read that was easy to follow。 If you’re a fan of her previous book， Superior， you’ll enjoy this one too。
Sarah
，
A book interested in how the patriarchy came to exist， exploring recent discourse （and debunking a few myths along the way） but mostly looking way back in global history to examine matrilineal and matriarchal societies to understand why modern society has moved away from this structure。 At times fascinating， at times a bit too textbook/academic for my own personal taste， but overall an informative and well-researched book。Thank you Netgalley and 4th Estate for the advance copy， which was provide A book interested in how the patriarchy came to exist， exploring recent discourse （and debunking a few myths along the way） but mostly looking way back in global history to examine matrilineal and matriarchal societies to understand why modern society has moved away from this structure。 At times fascinating， at times a bit too textbook/academic for my own personal taste， but overall an informative and well-researched book。Thank you Netgalley and 4th Estate for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Roman Clodia
，
Patriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn't really exist， then。 There are instead， more accurately， multiple patriarchies， formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way， working with local power structures and existing systems of inequality。This is， inevitably， a more amorphous and loose investigation than that of race science in Saini's Superior: in that book she was tracing a history of thinking and theorisations， here her topic is far wider in range and scope an Patriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn't really exist， then。 There are instead， more accurately， multiple patriarchies， formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way， working with local power structures and existing systems of inequality。This is， inevitably， a more amorphous and loose investigation than that of race science in Saini's Superior: in that book she was tracing a history of thinking and theorisations， here her topic is far wider in range and scope and that's reflected in the different focuses of the chapters。The early ones take an archaeological and anthropological view of history and， somewhat like Superior， trace a history of thinking about patriarchy which roughly coalesces around the nature/nurture or biological/cultural binaries。 Some pointers towards matrilineal and matrilocal societies （not， strictly， matriarchal） unsettle the contested ideas of patriarchy as biological fate and the somewhat fantasised idea of matriarchal societies with some recourse to evidence in primates。 Far more interesting， for me， are the last two chapters where Saini explores revolutionary attempts to reset the parameters that govern gender inequality and oppression， and the inevitable（？） backlash。 Without valorising the communist revolution in the USSR and Eastern Europe or excusing the associated authoritarianism and horrific mass murder， Saini does uncover how this vast social experiment revolutionised women's roles as it made a genuine attempt to smash the patriarchy。 'One of the primary tasks of the Soviet Republic is to abolish all restrictions on women's rights'， Lenin announced， and set about doing precisely this。 In 1920 （1920！） Soviet Russia legalised abortion。 As universal education was promoted across Eastern Europe， women trained to become scientists and engineers supported by access to creches and childcare provided by the state。 Cheap and affordable public laundries and canteens relieved women of at least some domestic labour so that they could study and advance their careers。 In the late 1920s， the Soviet state adopted laws making it a capital crime to murder or attempt to murder a woman striving for emancipation - 100 years later， in our own age when there is so much activism against femicide， this was radical indeed。Even after the reunification of Germany， the long-term effects of these socialist policies could be measured: in 2016， the gender pay gap in what was East Germany was 6%; in the old West Germany it was 23%。A 2019 study measured the proportion of scientific and technical articles published in scholarly journals by female authors: Central and Eastern European universities were amongst the best in the world with Poland coming first and fourth （Lublin， Gdansk）， and the University of Belgrade third。 By comparison， Harvard came 286th and Cambridge 537th。 This is not to advocate in any way for the kind of authoritarianism， suppression of freedoms and mass incarcerations and executions that have so polluted the communist experiment but it is evidence for the way that state policies and institutionalised social and domestic care can dismantle some of the economic and cultural oppressions of patriarchy。 In contrast， since the collapse of state socialism， women have reported a deterioration in their standards of living， driven by the systematic closure of kindergartens， schools and hospitals， placing the burden of child and elderly care back women。 The point that Saini is making here is that biological patriarchy where men are 'naturally' the owners of power， social， economic and intellectual influence due to those X chromosomes is shown not to stack up。 If that were true， why has there been so much agitation against patriarchy throughout history？ It's culture whether in the myths we construct for ourselves or the economic systems and policies we vote for （in places where women have the status and ability to vote， natch） that can dismantle the oppressions of gendered inequality。 The final dispiriting chapter， though， looks at the pushbacks and backlashes against hard-earned equality progress: Putin's reinstatement of macho patriarchy and force; the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan， the rolling back of abortion laws in the US。 Saini ends on a more hopeful note than I think I would。 Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
Becky
，