matriarchal society
Women hold power
A matriarchal society is one in which women hold primary power—in governance, property ownership, family structure, or moral authority.
The term appears frequently in anthropology and feminist theory, though scholars debate whether true matriarchies have ever existed at scale.
More loosely, any family or group dominated by a woman or women: Her grandmother ran a matriarchal household where the men knew to keep quiet.
- female leadershipWomen directing organizations
- clan mothersWomen governing family lineages
- female lineageAncestry traced through mothers
- Iroquois ConfederacyNative American tribal league
- village councilLocal governing body
council · feminist theory · grandmother · mother goddess · sacred feminine · elder · gender equity · women's empowerment · caregiving roles · women's circle · matron · egalitarianism · reproductive rights · ecofeminism · weaving · communal living · nurture · womb
- matriarchygynarchy, queendom, matrilineage, female dominance
- Asian PrehistoryPaleolithic, Bronze Age, Chalcolithic, hunter-gatherers, stone tools
- Wendatlonghouse, longhouses, Iroquoian, wampum, wampum belts
- Polynesian cultureTahiti, Bora Bora, tiki, tikis, hula