Matriarchy

Matriarchy is a term we use with two main meanings: (1) domination by female members of society and (2) women-centeredness in society (such as in descent, place of residence, economy, politics, religion, family). Scholars who use the term in the second sense stress that the concept of matriarchy does not parallel the concept of patriarchy

The term matriarchy has a commonsense meaning today. It refers to a situation where a female becomes an important figure in a nuclear or extended household. Thus, for example, Rose Kennedy was a matriarch of the Kennedy clan. That current meaning has deep roots. At one time many thinkers believed that women had always been