Unmasking patriarchy system

A seasoned researcher and social entrepreneur has rooted for redefining coercive control in addressing the effects of patriarchy in the society.

Presenting her findings on her study titled ‘Facing Patriarchy and Coercive Control in Shinyanga District’, before students and researchers of Tengeru Institute of Community Development (TICD) here last week, Dr Kate McAlpine said it was important to shun traditional customs that propagate systems of patriarchy in Tanzania.

“Having honest conversation could play a crucial role in addressing such a practice, but most importantly is to shy away from traditions that promote Patriarchy,” she suggested.

According to Dr McAlpine, the patriarchal system wasn’t still relevant in the modern society, noting that people were getting forced into it.

The researcher further noted that it was evident that people are under high levels of fear where patriarchy is practiced.

“Domestic violence is a tool of this system where also people fear of being social deviant,” she explained.

As she put it, patriarchal norms were maintained by social expectations that there will be a social and economic price to pay for subverting the patriarchal system.

She also deemed the system as fragile one, saying everyone experiences the pain of patriarchy.

Patriarchy is a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is reckoned through the male line.

In Tanzania, like everywhere else, the roles of men and women are classified based on the local cultural context.

Tanzanian society is largely patriarchal and in many communities, women are under the control of men and often accorded to a lower social status.

Some feminist theorists believe that patriarchy is an unjust social system that is harmful to both men and women.

It often includes any social, political, or economic mechanism that evokes male dominance over women.