Why Does Patriarchy Persist? [Paperback]

The election of an unabashedly patriarchal man as US President was a shock for many—despite decades of activism on gender inequalities and equal rights, how could it come to this? What is it about patriarchy that seems to make it so resilient and resistant to change? Undoubtedly it endures in part because some people benefit from the unequal advantages it confers. But is that enough to explain its stubborn persistence?

In this highly original and persuasively argued book, Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider put forward a different view: they argue that patriarchy persists because it serves a psychological function. By requiring us to sacrifice love for the sake of hierarchy, patriarchy protects us from the vulnerability of loving and becomes a defense against loss. Uncovering the powerful psychological mechanisms that underpin patriarchy, the authors show how forces beyond our awareness may be driving a politics that otherwise seems inexplicable.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 17

The Puzzle 17

The First Clue: An Association to Loss 25

Resistance 32

Loss 45

The Three Discoveries 72

A Summary 89

Part 2 91

Knowing This, Then What? 91

Finding Resonance, Repairing Ruptures 119

Leaving Patriarchy 121

Where Then Do We Stand? 134

Notes 146

Index 160

“Taking on the long brewing battle between true democracy and the pervasive ‘ghost’ of patriarchy, this compact book exists in a category of its own. The voices of its authors are accessible, incisive and engaging—the perfect book to launch almost any conversation about our current messy psycho-political times.”
JilĂ3