Abstract
The paper compares and contrasts Dangaremgba's "Nervous Conditions" and Ba's "So Long a Letter", emphasizing the issue of the family structure and impact of patriarchy on the lives of women in Africa.

From the Paper
"In Mariama Ba's "So Long a Letter" and in Tsitsi Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions", the reader encounters two African families that function in societies that are dominated by patriarchy and in which the lives of women are largely shaped and influenced by forces that are beyond their control. In this essay, the family structures that are presented by both of these African women novelists will be compared and contrasted. The report will further reconsider how patriarchy shapes family relations in some..."

Tags:African literature, family, Tsitsi Dangaremgba, Mariama Ba, patriarchy

Abstract
In this paper, an analysis of the rise of patriarchy in Ancient Greek society is provided by means of an analysis of the character of Clytemnestra as she is portrayed in Aeschylus' Oresteia and other Greek epics, that show that she is shunned and pays the ultimate price for her autonomy.

From the Paper
"Patriarchy generally refers to the dominance of males in a social hierarchy. We see that most cultures and societies throughout history have been dominated by males. The rise of patriarchy often had the impact ..."

Tags:Agamemnon, heroic, war, domestic, gender, roles, norms, values, oppression, family, Gods, culture, society

Abstract
This paper discusses patriarchy, the social system still prevalent today, whereby males are still perceived as the "strong" one and that boys naturally will be more active, demanding, noisy, and competitive than girls. The paper concludes that what began in prehistoric times as a cooperative system for survival, has become an albatross and we are stuck with living in a patriarchal society where women are to some extent, still oppressed.

From the Paper
"Boys will consistently get more attention and more of the teacher's time. While girls will be expected to raise their hands before speaking (and corrected if they don't), boys will be allowed to blurt out answers in class. Girls will be "less likely to be called on by name ...asked fewer complex and abstract questions, receive less praise or constructive feedback, and ... given less direction on how to do things..." (Sadker, 2002, p. 239). Later on, boys will enroll in advanced computer classes, but girls will be in word processing and other clerical support programs (Sadker, 2002). Eventually, all this will be reflected in the careers they choose. Women will enroll in college programs to be teachers, social workers, nurses, and librarians, but only 7-14% of the men will enroll in these programs. Men will go instead where there is money and power."

Tags:stereotypical, girls, women, educational, sexism

Abstract
This paper examines the history of a male-dominated society. It reviews Riane Eisler?s classic, "The Chalice and the Blade". The paper explains that, in matriarchy, fighting was to defend self and home, whereas in patriarchy, fighting was to take territory and possessions, to increase that which was owned, and to prove dominance. It is this dominance that is at the heart of the changes described in Eisler?s book.

From the Paper
"Even after much of the overt worship of goddesses had been changed and surpressed, the forms remain in the Shekhina of Hebrew tradition and of course, the Catholic Virgin Mary. The Mother remains, in disguise. For about 5000 years, society has been run on increasingly male-dominated and patriarchal lines with, it seems increasingly destructive results. When societies honored the earth as the supplier of all that was needed, it would have been impossible "even if the technology had been present" for people to mindlessly destroy the very foundations of all life."

Tags:male, domination, force, feudalism

Abstract
As well, "patriarchy" is the foundation of women's oppression, and neither of the phenomena can be understood without the other. Therefore, embedded in the sad reality that we cannot discuss women's problems without discussing them in relation to men's interests. Also seen is how the women are locked into economic dependency, which is the crucial factor in understanding why women are oppressed. The views of Engel and Marx are used to understand this topic.

Abstract
This paper looks at Margery Kempe's book through a feminist lens, and describes her attempts to gain acceptance by subverting the very patriarchy whose acceptance she sought. The paper outlines the visions Kempe received from Christ, and her subsequent dependence on these visions and her need for spiritual validation.

From the Paper
"Margery Kempe (1373?-1448?), medieval laywoman and visionary, completed a book near the end of her life (with the help of scribes) which detailed her life relating to visions she received from Christ starting at the age of twenty. Reading The Book of Margery Kempe from a feminist viewpoint can open up the text in a way which helps the reader understand Margery's struggles to be heard and to be accepted, as well as why she may have been so desperate to free her life of carnal pleasures. By looking at the Book in this manner, one realizes that Margery needed others, men in particular, to validate her. The Book scarcely mentions Margery's contact with other laywomen, and other holy women are mentioned primarily as comparisons with Margery designed to authenticate her actions. The paucity of women is due to their inability to further her appeals for acceptance by the church; only learned and influential men could do that. So, ironically, Margery needed the very patriarchy whose dominance she wished to be free from. Without the pleasures she once derived from living in the world, Margery needed Jesus to speak to her everyday, she needed the mystical marriage with the Godhead, and, most importantly, she needed for clerics and bishops to validate her spirituality. Even if Margery rejected the bodily life associated with her husband, she nonetheless needed men to establish her place in the world. Whether these men were her scribes, her confessors, or Christ himself, Margery relied on them to maintain her chaste life."

Tags:christianity, church, feminism, influence, jesus, marriage, medieval, mystical, pilgrimage, religion, Medieval, Literature

Abstract
This paper discusses that globally whether in Scandinavia, where women have the most opportunities for economic and political life, to countries like the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, where women cannot vote or go to school, women are at a distinct disadvantage compared to men. The author points out that patriarchy and androcentrism is so engrained in the worlds' cultures that we do not realize it. The paper concludes that even in the United States, there is a danger of neglecting the needs of women, because of a mistaken belief that equality has been attained.

From the Paper
"Martha Nussbaum observes that women are consistently less nourished than men and consequently, less healthy. Women are less likely to be literate or receive schooling and job training. Many who choose to enter the workforce face need to overcome objections from their family or community as well as issues like discriminatory hiring and promotion practices and sexual harassment. In many countries, women are not allowed to vote and do not have the same political and economic rights as men. They cannot own property, choose their own mates or decide whether or not to have children. In addition, many women who work are also responsible for care-giving and other household duties."

Tags:language, religion, catholic, discrimination, arab

Abstract
This paper discusses a Caribbean family structure and women's power vis-a-vis men. The paper also discusses matrifocal emphasis observed in many Caribbean families, but also the sway of stereotypes, and as these are constantly disproved in a varied and international Caribbean population.

From the Paper
"Historical Challenges to Patriarchy in Caribbean Families. Introduction Patriarchy has been plain the many Caribbean families but historical factors also produce different presentations of masculinity, and a profound matrifocality as varied forces. This paper refers to a variety of sources to introduce the Caribbean family as often different from the so-called nuclear family that once prevailed in North America, or elsewhere in the West, as discussed by Luxton. (1995). One finds great variety in Caribbean families, and also, patterns alluded to that indicate a distinctive Caribbean history."

Tags:caribbean, family, patriarchy

Abstract
The essay begins by focusing on gender relations and character descriptions in the novel, "In the Land of Promise, A Colonial Novel About Carl Peters" by Frida von Bulow. It then focuses on the relationship between colonialism and gender and the ways in which the male/female relationship mimics the relationship of colonizer and "subject". Finally, the paper addresses the problem of whether the text supports traditional gender expectations or not.

From the Paper
"As the central character in Frieda von Bulow's In the Land of Promise, A It is tempting to argue that von Bulow accepts and agrees with traditional gender roles. After all, she devotes much time to discussing the virtues of manhood and extrapolates upon relationships that are more or less patriarchal. The possibilities and potential of colonialism are also central themes, if not the central theme, and there are parallels between patriarchy and colonialism in the text. However, to make such an argument would mean overlooking the central role that the character of Maleen plays in challenging traditional views."

Tags:colonialist, prussia

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine issues surrounding the subject of patriarchy in Asian cultures. The plan of the research will be to set forth the sociological context in which patriarchal values appear to surface in such cultures, and then to discuss the implications of socially based sex roles that demonstrate patterns of male dominance on one hand, or outright misogyny on the other.

In recent years there appears to have been an increase of interest in the status and changeability of social roles of both men and women in all cultures. Research into socially determined sex roles of Asians both inside and outside Asia has been a part of this increase. By and large, research studies appear to indicate that traditional patterns of social behavior persist where sex roles are concerned."