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matriarchy

Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of power and privilege are held by women. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. While those definitions apply in general English, definitions specific to anthropology and feminism differ in some respects.

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Matriarchy is a social system where women hold the main positions of power, authority, and control over resources like property. It matters because understanding how power is distributed differently across societies—whether by gender or other factors—helps us examine how social systems work and how they affect people's lives.

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Commons category: Matriarchy

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Article

44 sections

Contents

Definitions, connotations, and etymology
Related concepts
Words beginning with ''gyn-''
Intergenerational relationships
Words beginning with ''matri-''
History and distribution
By region and culture
Ancient Near East
Europe
Asia
Burma
China
India
Indonesia
Ancient Vietnam (before 43 CE)
Native Americans
By chronology
Earliest prehistory and undated
Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages
Bronze Age
Iron Age to Middle Ages
20th–21st centuries
Mythology
Amazons
Greece
Celtic myth and society
Basque myth and society
South America
In feminist thought
In religious thought
Exclusionary
Inclusionary
In popular culture
Ancient theatre
Literature
Film
Television
Other animals
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
Further reading
External links

Matriarchies may also be confused with matrilineal, matrilocal, and matrifocal societies. While some may consider any non-patriarchal system to be matriarchal, most academics exclude those systems from matriarchies as strictly defined. Many societies have had matriarchal elements.