DISCERNIG THE SIGNS OF TIMES :

THEOLOGICAL METHODOLOGIES FROM THE MARGINS

SEMINAR PAPER
On

TOPIC
PATRIARCHY AND HEGEMONY : EXCLUSION OF WOMEN

SUBMITTED BY,
Bibin Biji (BD 2)

SUBMITTED TO,
Rev. Sam T George.

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CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Patriarchy

3. Patriarchal Control On Women

3.1.Women’s Production Or Labour Power

3.2.Women’s Reproduction

3.3.Control Over Women’s Sexuality

3.4.Property And Other Economic Resources

4. Exclusion Of Women In Different Sectors

4.1.Social

4.2.Economic

4.3.Political Participation

5. Empowerment Of Women

5.1.Educational Empowerment

5.2.Economic Empowerment

5.3.Social Empowerment

5.4. Political Empowerment

6. Conclusion

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1. INTRODUCTION

Women constitute the half of the world population. They pave the way for the development of
the society. Still their efforts are not recognized. Many argue that it is because of patriarchal system.
Subordination of women is part of our social set up. Not only she is considered as subordinate but
this subordination manifest in terms of discrimination, oppression, control, violence etc. She faces
discrimination and unequal treatment in all the walks of her life.

2. PATRIARCHY

The term Patriarchy is derived from two Greek terms ‘patria’ means father and ‘arche” means to
rule. So this is a sociological condition where male members of the society tend to predominate in
positions of power. The word patriarchy literally means the rule of the father or the “patriarch”, and
originally it was used to describe a specific type of “male-dominated family”. Now it is used more
generally to refer to male domination, to the power relationships by which male dominate women,
and to characterize a system whereby the women are kept subordinate in number of ways. It is the
subordination that women experience on a daily level, regardless of the class they belong to, and it
take various forms-discrimination, disregard, insult, control, exploitation, oppression, violencewitiiin
family, at the work olace and in the society. Patriarchy is a social and ideological construct which
consider men as superior to women.1

3. PATRIARCHAL CONTROL ON WOMEN

3.1. Women’s Production or Labour Power

Men control women’s productivity both within the home and outside, in paid work. Within the
household women provide all kinds of free services to their children, husband and other members
of the family. Also men control women’s labour outside the home in several ways. They force their
women to sell their labour or they may prevent them from working. Then women are excluded from
better paid jobs, and they forced to sell their labour at very low wages.

3.2. Women’s Reproduction

In many societies, women do not have the freedom to decide how many children they want,
when to have them, or terminate a pregnancy etc. Patriarchy not only forces women to be mothers,
it also determines the conditions of their motherhood. Women are subjugated mainly because, the

1
Laji Chacko, Discerning the signs of the times ( kolkata: ESPACE, 2014), 85.
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mothering and nurturing is forced on to them, and only on them, by patriarchal societies. This
ideology of motherhood is considered one of the basis of women’s oppression because it restricts
women’s mobility and growth and it reproduce male dominance.2

3.3. Control Over Women’s Sexuality

Women are obliged to provide sexual service to their men according to their needs and desires.
Also men may force their wives, daughters or other women in their control into prostitution, Le.
trading their sexuality. Rape and the threat of rape is another form in which women’s sexuality is
dominated through invocation of “shame” and “honor”.3

3.4. Property and Other Economic Resources

Most property and other productive resources are controlled by men and they pass from one
man to other, usually from father to son. Even where women have the legal right to inherit such
assets, a whole array of customary practices, emotional pressures, social sanctions and sometimes
plain violence prevent them from acquiring actual control over them.4

4. Exclusion of Women in Different Sectors

In the Indian context, it is said that during the Vedic age women enjoyed enormous freedom and
power. However the Hindu literature does not advocates the rights and equality of women (e.g. The
Manu Smriti). This negative attitude towards women was crystallized through structures like Sati,
child marriage, enforced widowhood, purdah system, devadasi, female infanticide and dowry.
Though the general condition of women has tremendously improved after independence but,
women in india were deliberately denied there social economic and political powers and privileges.

Religion Patriarchy is embedded and endorsed by the minority religion as well, denying women
the right place in the society. The Hindu socio-legal treatises (e.g. Manu Smriti) sacralized the most
extreme form of patriarchy centuries ago, which was premised upon male predominance and female
subordination, the women’s wifemother role and her status as the Jegal, economic and sexual
property of her husband. The religious texts equated the husband with god, so obviously highlighting

2
Ibid., 86.
3
Ibid., 87.
4
Ibid., 88.
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the patriarchal intentions. In both the ancient and modern India, women were rendered only
secondary roles in the cultic circle.

4.1. Social

Patriarchy shapes a social hierarchy in which men are on the top. The concept of patriarchy in
terms of power relations makes it possible to relate it to caste, class and the role of the state. In
India, the Patriarchal system is further reinforced by Varna ideology giving men the right to treat
women as object of their pleasure and power. Thus discrimination against women was legitimized
through religious text and therefore society derived a sanction for it and crystallized through ages.
Women were conditions to belief that their roles as designed by Patriarchal mind is divinely
oriented. Family has remained the core institution of patriarchal dominance, yet it does not remain
in this confine but it spread all over the society. Twenty first century Indian Society shows a mixture
of traditional and modern values. In spite of the fact that there are ample of opportunities open for
women in education, politics, employment, etc. yet the basic view of women as inferior and
subordinate seems to remain unchanged.

4.2. Economic

There existed a rigid patriarchal family setting in the Indian society where the male monopoly of
domestic authority, decision making powers, control of the economic resources (property, ancestral
wealth) of family was exercised. The daughters were not entitled to a share in this, but were
compensated at marriage with a smaller share which gradually transmuted into dowry to which her
husband and marital family laid claim. Still in the post-modern Indian society this type of a normative
structure continues to exist though in a different form and intensity.

4.3. Political Participation

The exclusion of women in political participation and decision making processes was one
inherited by human history. Even when democracy had birth ancient Athens in 5th century BC, the
exclusion of women from political participation and decision making was existed. The criminalization
of politics also prevent women from playing their rightful role in politics. Women face several
obstacles to participating in political life. Individual women have overcome these obstacles with

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great acclaim, and often to the benefit of society at large. But for women as a whole, the playing
field needs to be level, opening opportunities for all.5

5. Empowerment of Women

The literal meaning of the term ‘empowerment’ is becoming powerful and it’s being used today
in all spheres of life as a process to strengthen the elements of society. Empowerment has gained
significance to eliminate the gender disparity in India. The goals of women’s empowerment are to
challenge patriarchal ideology, to transform the structures and institutions that reinforce and
perpetuate gender discrimination and social inequality, and to enable poor women to gain access
to, and control of, both material and Informational resources._M Hilarla Soundari Dalit Women,
Dimension and Practices of Empowerment(Dindigul:Vaigarai Pathippagam,2006),50-51. In the
welfare programs of the Ninth five year plan (1997-2002) and shifting the concept of development
to empowerment, the Indian Government adopted the approach of ‘Self-Help Groups (SHG’s) to
uplift the women.

5.1. Educational Empowerment

Education is the prime avenue for empowering women. This process of empowering entailed
much more than awareness of alternatives, women’s rights and the nature of the requirement. For
women, the process of empowerment is breaking away from the cycle of learned and taught
submission to discrimination, learned from one generation of women and passed on to the rest.
Thus, educational empowerment for women indicates as the right to learn, gender sensitization,
legal understanding, health education, undoing stereotypes, etc.6

5.2. Economic Empowerment

Economic empowerment endorses women’s sense of work, the right to determine choices, the
power to control their own lives within and outside home and their ability to influence the direction
of social change and to create a just, social and economic order nationally and internationally
(Noeleen, UNIFEM). When the right to earning and savings, entrepreneurship skills, marketing

5
Prasanna Kumari, Women in Church and Society(Chennai:Gurukul Lutheran Theological
College,1999),4.
6
Ibid.,55.
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ability, managerial capacity and ownership of assets were experienced by women it could be
accepted that they were on the process of empowerment.7

5.3. Social Empowerment

It is a process of redistribution of power within and between families, societies, and a process
aiming at social equality which could be achieved through disempowering some structures, systems
and Institutions. Social empowerment promotes sustainable rural structure, for dissemination of
knowledge about health, nutrition, literacy, education, freedom and opportunities for realizing
women’s potentialities and adoption of new agricultural practices.

5.4. Political Empowerment

In this process adequate information and resources has to be made available for women to make
their own autonomous decision-making. The political empowerment indicators considers their basic
political rights, role in decision making bodies of the state and the central governments,
representation in policy making, participation in political campaigning, leadership quality and ability
to politicize their problems.8

6. CONCLUSION

In spite of the emergence of tremendous opportunities for women in almost all the areas of the
society, patriarchy still to continue in a disguise. Even though there is significant change happened
in the life of Women, still the family, society and religion is controlled by the male. In Indian Church’s
all the claims still very much reflects the influence of patriarchy. God created male and female in His
own image and there is no inequalities in front of His eyes. Jesus also gave women equal
participation in His ministry. So, there should be equality within the Church.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chacko,Laji. Discerning the signs of the times. Kolkata:ESPACE,2014.

Kithan,Zubeno. Women in church and society. kolkata:ESPACE,2014.
Kumari,Prasanna.Women in church and society.Chennai:Gurukul Lutheran Theological
College,1999.
Soundari,M.Hilaria.Dalit Women, Dimension and Practices of Enpowerment.Dindigul:Vaigarai
Pathippagam, 2006.

7
Ibid., 58.
8
Ibid., 60.
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