3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss

CHECKOUTOURMAGAZINE

SEARCHTHESITE

GETARISK-FREEISSUE

GIVEAGIFT

Like

1.4M

RENEWYOURSUBSCRIPTION

AMAZINGFACT

igQuetion

LIVMARTR

Joecret

VIDO

Language

LIT

Movie

pace

QUIZZ

Weather

Follow

UCRI

WorldWarI

TOR

Kennection

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomen
LiterallyRule

LauraTurnerGarrison

filedunder:Lists,politics

N W L T T R

A u p e r - k i m m a l e d a i l d i g e t .

IMAGECREDIT:WIKIMEDIACOMMONS//CCBY-SA3.0

EMAIL AD D R ESS

SIG N U P N O W

LIKEUSONFACEBOOK

Like

1,486,209peoplelikethis.SignUptoseewhatyourfriendslike.

Whorunstheworld?Inthesesixsocieties:Girls.
Bystandarddefinition,amatriarchyisafamily,grouporstategovernedbyamatriarch(a
womanwhoisheadofafamilyortribe).Anthropologistsandfeministshavesincecreated
morespecificclassificationsforfemalesocieties,includingthematrilinealsystem.
Matrilinealityrefersnotonlytotracingoneslineagethroughmaternalancestry,itcanalso
refertoacivilsysteminwhichoneinheritspropertythroughthefemaleline.Whilethe
legendaryAmazons(probablythemostwidelyknownmatriarchy)arerelegatedtomythology,
thereareahandfuloffemale-ledsocietiesthatthriveintherealworldtoday.

1.MOSUO
LivingneartheborderofTibetintheYunnanandSichuanprovinces,theMosuoareperhaps
themostfamousmatrilinealsociety.TheChinesegovernmentofficiallyclassifiesthemaspart
ofanotherethnicminorityknownastheNaxi,butthetwoaredistinctinbothcultureand
language.
TheMosuolivewithextendedfamilyinlargehouseholds;attheheadofeachisamatriarch.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

1/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss

TheMosuolivewithextendedfamilyinlargehouseholds;attheheadofeachisamatriarch.
Lineageistracedthroughthefemalesideofthefamily,andpropertyispasseddownalong
thesamematriline.Mosuowomentypicallyhandlebusinessdecisionsandmenhandle
politics.Childrenareraisedinthemother'shouseholdsandtakehername.
TheMosuohavewhat'scalledwalkingmarriages."Thereisnoinstitutionofmarriage;rather,
womenchoosetheirpartnersbyliterallywalkingtothemanshomeandthecouplesneverlive
together.Sincechildrenalwaysremainsinthemotherscare,sometimesthefatherplayslittle
roleintheupbringing.Insomecases,thefather'sidentityisnotevenknown.Instead,the
maleschildrearingresponsibilitiesremaininhisownmatrilinealhousehold.

2.MINANGKABAU
Atfourmillionpeople,theMinangkabauofWestSumatra,Indonesia,(picturedabove,during
aharvestseasoncelebratino)arethelargestknownmatrilinealsocietytoday.Inadditionto
triballawrequiringallclanpropertytobeheldandbequeathedfrommothertodaughter,the
Minangkabaufirmlybelievethemothertobethemostimportantpersoninsociety.
InMinangkabausociety,womenusuallyrulethedomesticrealmwhilethementakethe
politicalandspiritualleadershiproles.However,bothgendersfeeltheseparationofpowers
keepsthemonanequalfooting.Uponmarriage,everywomanacquiresherownsleeping
quarters.Thehusbandmaysleepwithher,butmustleaveearlyinthemorningtohave
breakfastathismothershome.Atage10,boysleavetheirmothershometostayinmen's
quartersandlearnpracticalskillsandreligiousteachings.Whiletheclanchiefisalwaysmale,
womenselectthechiefandcanremovehimfromofficeshouldtheyfeelhefailedtofulfillhis
duties.

3.AKAN
TheAkanpeopleareamajorityinGhana,wheretheypredominantlyreside.TheAkansocial
organizationisfundamentallybuiltaroundthematriclan,whereinone'sidentity,inheritance,
wealth,andpoliticsarealldetermined.Allmatriclanfoundersarefemale,butmentraditionally
holdleadershippositionswithinthesociety.Theseinheritedroles,however,arepasseddown
matrilineallymeaningthroughaman'smothersandsisters(andtheirchildren).Often,the
manisexpectedtonotonlysupporthisownfamily,butthoseofhisfemalerelatives.

4.BRIBRI
TheBribriareasmallindigenousgroupofjustover13,000peoplelivingonareserveinthe
TalamancacantonintheLimnprovinceofCostaRica.Likemanyothermatrilinealsocieties,
theBribriareorganizedintoclans.Eachclanismadeupofextendedfamily,andtheclanis
determinedthroughthemother/females.Womenaretheonlyoneswhotraditionallycan
inheritland.WomenarealsoendowedwiththerighttoprepthecacaousedinsacredBribri
rituals.

5.GARO
MuchliketheirKhasineighborsintheNorth-EastIndianstateofMeghalaya,theTibetoBurman-speakingGarospasspropertyandpoliticalsuccessionfrommothertodaughter
typically,heyoungestdaughterinheritshermother'sproperty.MuchliketheAkan,however,
thesocietiyismatrilinealbutnotmatriarchal:themengovernthesocietyandmanage
property.
Oftentimes,theyoungestdaughter'smarriageisarrangedforher.Butfornon-inheriting
daughters,theprocesscanbemuchmorecomplex.InGarotradition,thegroom-to-beis
expectedtorunawayfromaproposalofmarriage,requiringthebride-to-be'sfamilyto
"capture"himandreturnhimtohispotentialbride'svilliage.Thisback-and-forthisrepeated
untilthebrideeithergivesup,orthegroomacceptsherproposal(oftenaftershehasmade
manypromisestoserveandobeyhim).Oncemarried,thehusbandlivesinhiswifeshouse.
Shoulditnotworkout,theunionisdissolvedwithoutsocialstigma,asmarriageisnota
bindingcontract.

6.NAGOVISI
TheNagovisiliveinSouthBougainville,anislandwestofNewGuinea.AnthropologistJillNash
reportedNagovisisocietywasdividedintotwomatrilinealmoieties,whicharethendivided
intomatriclans.Nagovisiwomenareinvolvedinleadershipandceremonies,buttakethemost
prideinworkingthelandentitledtothem.Nashobservedthatwhenitcomestomarriage,the
Nagovisiwomanheldgardeningandsharedsexualityatequalimportance.Marriageisnot
institutionalized.Ifacoupleisseentogether,sleepstogether,andthemanassiststhewoman
inhergarden,forallintentsandpurposestheyareconsideredmarried.

Thispostoriginallyappearedin2012.
January29,2016-12:50pm

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

2/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss

67Comments

MentalFloss

Recommend

Share

Login

SortbyOldest

Jointhediscussion
nobodyimportant 2yearsago

Thesearehardlymodernsocieties.Also,youneedtolookup"matrilineal"and
"matriarchial"beforeyouusethosetermsagain.
14

Reply Share

MarkDanielJohansen>nobodyimportant ayearago

"modern(adj):Oforrelatingtorecenttimesorthepresent".Dothesesocieties
existinthepresent?Yes.Thus,bydefinition,theyare"modern".What,doyou
think"modern"means"oforrelatingtowesternEurope"?
61

Reply Share

PJ>MarkDanielJohansen ayearago

nobodyimportantneedstolearnthedifferencebetweenmodernand
modernised
9

Reply Share

mclovin89>MarkDanielJohansen ayearago

thoughthatisagoodpointandratherrefreshingtohere.poepleseemto
usetheword"modern"synonymoustowesternoramerican.
Likepeoplewillsaylifeinafghanistanisntmodern.Whichisfalsetheyjust
arentfirstworldyetanddonthaveourvalues.
whetheranationisasliberalasswedenorconservativeassaudiarabia,
bothcanbefirstworld.Itsallaboutthemoneythecountrymakesandhow
itsspentonjobs,education,healthcareandinfrastructurethatsit.
2

Reply Share

Ozzell>MarkDanielJohansen 6monthsago

Ibelievewhathemeantisthattheyarelessdevelopedsocieties.Naturally
theyaremodern,asintheyexistinmoderntimes.Butthecolloqial
meaningof'modern'usuallyreferstotechnicaldevelopment.
Ithinkthepointstands.Matriarchialsocietiesdon'ttendtodevelopthe
samespeedaspatriarchialones.

Reply Share

Sham>Ozzell 4monthsago

Whichpatriachalones??
Didyouevenbothertovisitanyoneofthosematriachalcultures
listedabove?
They'renotasbadassomepatriachalculturesyouseein
Asia,Africa,andmiddleeast.InfactGhanathehomeplaceofthe
akanisfarmorepeacefulthananyofthepatriachalafrican
countries..

Reply Share

DerekC.Purdy>Sham amonthago

Iagreethattherearedefinitelyvalidadvantagestosomeaspectof
thesematriarchalsocietiesbutpointingouttheexceptiontotherule
regardingpatriarchalsocietiesisn'tafaircomparison.Ibelieveone
ofthegreatinstitutionsofmatriarchalsocietyisthewalking
marriageforitprovidesasteadyhomelifeforchildrenandthe
freedomforadultstoperusewhateverloveinteresttheylike.

Reply Share

KrisRaleigh 2yearsago

Theyexisttoday,thatmakesthemmodernsocieties.Theymightnotbeas"developed"
or"modern"inthesensethatyouwantthatwordtomean,but...Whatelsecouldthey
be?They'renotancientsocieties.
Also,thewordmatrilinealhasbeenusedcorrectlyinthisarticle.Thewordmatriarchyisn't
evenusedonce.
Lasttimeanyoneshouldevertakeadvicefromsomebodywhoselfidentifiesas"nobody
important."
58 Reply Share
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

3/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
58

Reply Share

goodgirl111>KrisRaleigh 2yearsago

Yousoundjudgementalandrude.Youcommenttocuttheotherpersondown.
Youseemtohaveadeeperissuebehindyourcomment.Ibelievethistypeof
societyhastheRealabilitytoemergebutwillit.Onlytimewilltell.Prophecy
speaksofthisemerginginthenextthousandsyears.HillAryRodhamClintonisa
goodstartforthefemininetotakeherthroneback.Thatwouldbeasignofthe
times.Secretknowledge.
3

Reply Share

goodgirl111>goodgirl111 2yearsago

AlthoughIthinkwomentendtobemorebalancedwantingaequalmale
partnerforthemostpart.Thisishowitdiffersfrommanbasedsociety.
Womenrmoreaboutequality.Iwonderifthat'sathemeintotoday's
emergingsociety.Wellonlytimewilltellifittrulymanifests.
6

Reply Share

goodgirl111>goodgirl111 2yearsago

Thefeminineenergyisnowshiningonearthsince2013.Theshift
happensoyouseethepromanperformancesoutinsociety
fightingthefeminine.Theenergymakespeopleactdifferently.Alot
ofmovements.Atearingdownoftheoldforthenewtoemerge.
Thefinancialaspectchange.Itallchangesstartingnow.Freedom
goeshandinhandwiththis.Everythingisbeingturnedonitshead.
Somewillfightitonlytofindoutinstantkarmawillconsumethem.
That'smyintuitivereadingonthematternowactionswilltellhowit
playsout.It'ssupposetobeworldwide.Middleeastit'sa
nightmare.Dotheyoppresse?yestheydoohyourhavingahard
time.Yesmorethaneverit'shappening.Onlythewisewillknow.
Thirdeyereadings.
3

Reply Share

goodgirl111>goodgirl111 2yearsago

Useegayrights,cannabis,equality,andunconditionallove
emerging.Thesersomeofthechangesfightingtoemerge.There
isflippingmuchnooneknowsaboutthisIsatinypieceofthe
puzzle.Sexualfreedomisanotheronebutmaybeonethingleads
toanother.Inotexactlywhattheymean,myreadings.Iamtoldsex
issacred.Seehowtheothersideofcoincanbeflipped.Thegay
bansgetsflippedovertotheothersideofcoingoingfromnegative
topositivebythemoreenlightenedcrowd.Motherenergyisabout
puretruth.Thenewtruththatreallyisancienttruth.Ifyou
understandmecongratsyourconsciousnessissomewhat
evolved.2012ismoreaboutbeginningsnotsomuchendings.
Theyrthosespecialpeoplethatevenmadeamovieaboutit.
Illusionsreasytopullwhenmajorityisthirdeyeblind.
7

Reply Share

DanielRyslink>goodgirl111 ayearago

Idon'tknowhowoldareyou,butyourwritingseemstoindicate
youmustbeveryyoung.Ihaveseenmanyplotting,envious,and
yes,evenaggressivewomeninmylife.Womenarecapableof
cruelty,violenceandhatred,andoftenmuchmorefocusedand
lastingthantheirmalecounterparts.It'struethatwomentrytolook
friendly,emphatic,emotionalandcaring,becausethatmakesthem
attractiveandimprovestheirsocialimage,buttheyarealsomuch
betteractorsandliarsthanmen.
4

Reply Share

Truelitistnot>DanielRyslink ayearago

HillaryClinton.
1

Reply Share

giddypony>DanielRyslink 8monthsago

problemtictogeneralizethisway.Somewomenmaybebutin
general...kenkillwomen...

Reply Share

Tronmartin>goodgirl111 9monthsago

LOL,thesesocietiesarenotbalanced.Menarenotequalandthe
womenarenotattemptingtomakeitthatwayeither.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

4/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
womenarenotattemptingtomakeitthatwayeither.

Reply Share

Hibernia86>goodgirl111 2yearsago

Whenyourcommentsaid"Prophecyspeaksof..."IknewIwaswasting
mytimereadingit.
35

Reply Share

PJ>goodgirl111 ayearago

1.wasthereareasonthatthisneededtobefourseparateposts?
2."Prophecyspeaksofthis"equalsinstantdiscrediting.
9

Reply Share

L.Magnus>PJ ayearago

3.referringtothemovie"2012"assomethingotherthanan
hilariousdisasteradventuremovietrumpsallinthe"instant
discrediting"department
5

Reply Share

Tronmartin>goodgirl111 9monthsago

Goodgirl111,
Thesesocietiesshowthatwomenarenobetteratacceptingmenas
equalsthanmenareofacceptingwomen.Ifanythingoursocietyismore
equalthatthese.IfhistoryhastaughtusanythingitisthatBALANCEis
thekeytosuccess.Thegendersneedtoworktogether.Idonotknow
whothinkswomenaremoreaboutequalitybuttheyaremistaken.Women
aremoreabouttheirequalitybutdonotwantmentobeequaltothem.
1

Reply Share

Andrew>KrisRaleigh 9monthsago

Perhapsyoushouldlearnbetterreadingcomprehension,sincematriarchsand
matriarchiesareintroducedinthesecondsentence.

Reply Share

KrisRaleigh 2yearsago

*Correction,thewordmatriarchyisused,butonlytodefinetheword.AsfarasIcantell,
noneofthesesocietieshavebeendescribedasmatriarchies,wherewomenbothownall
thepropertyandhaveallthepoliticalpower.
13

Reply Share

PeterOleKvint>KrisRaleigh 4monthsago

BoththeBritishEmpireandancientChinawereheadedbywomen,despitethe
factthatthethesecommunitiesweredistinctlymalesociety.Thenafemale
societywillnotputthemilitaryleaderscompletelyoutsideinfluence.

Reply Share

DerekC.Purdy>KrisRaleigh amonthago

TheAkansocialorganizationisfundamentallybuiltaroundthematriclan,wherein
one'sidentity,inheritance,wealth,andpoliticsarealldetermined.Allmatriclan
foundersarefemale

Reply Share

anannya 2yearsago

Ok..whyareLakshadweep&partsofKeralamissinginthislist?Thatwouldmakeit8
modernsocieties.
5

Reply Share

SandyMoran>anannya 2yearsago

IjustlookedupLakshadweepinWikipedia,anddidnotreadanythingabout
matriarchs.WherecanIgotoreadaboutit?
7

Reply Share

SteveShaw ayearago

Let'ssee,intheMosuoculture,themendonothavetobearoundthebratstheycreated.
Theydon'thavetoliveinthesamehousewiththewomen,andsometimestheydon't
evenknowwhichchildrentheyfathered.Andthisisconsideredtoberuleswherewomen
rule?SoundslikeDetroit.
28

Reply Share

YuliQueenBee>SteveShaw ayearago

Yeahtheauthorofthearticleneedstolearnthedefinitionof"ruling"becausethey
aren'treallyruling.Heprobablymeantthatthewomenarerulingthemselves,

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

5/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
aren'treallyruling.Heprobablymeantthatthewomenarerulingthemselves,
especiallyintheMosuoculture,they'refreefrommenandapparentlyaren't
shamedforthis.That'sthemajordifferencewithpatriarchalsocieties:womenown
theirbodiesandchildren,whileinpatriarchal,women'sbodiesandchildrenbelong
tothemen.Basically,thesesocietiesarejustnotpatriarchal(orlesspatriarchal)
butnosignofwomen"ruling".
1

Reply Share

RaviMenon>YuliQueenBee 4monthsago

Eitherway,thewomanasanindividualandherprotectionagainstisstill
controlledbywomenorevenmentoagreatextent.Whetheryouaremale
orfemale,nofamilysystemgivesyoutotalcontroloveryourbodiesorthat
ofyourchildrenandchecksandbalancesareinevitableinthelarger
interestsofthefamilyandsociety.Unbridledfreedomisamythwhich
patriarchies,amatriarchy,orthemoreplausiblediarchycannever
guarantee.And,inthelargerinterestsofafamily,checksandbalances
areinevitable,unlessyoupreferchaostoorder.
And,IdobelievethatmostUS,BritainandIndianfamilieshavebeen
stronglydiarchalforhundredsofyearsthemenbeingphysicalproviders
whomanageresourcesandassets,thewomenbeingnurturersand
emotionalproviders(often,havinganundulyhighamountofemotional
controloverthechildren)managingthesameresourcesandassets,while
alsocontrollingfamilyspendinginequalmeasure.Whereinexiststhe
questionofarbitrarycontrolbyoneparty?Maybe,it'snotasystemperfect
enoughforcertaingroups,butthenithaslargelyworkedinkeepinglarge
familiestogether.
TheoccasionalpatriarchalsetupsinIndiahasbeenthelargeagricultural
holdingfamiliesandroyaldynasties.Theywerenottotalpatriarchiesin
letterandspirit.Themostefficient,daringandenterprisingwomendidrise
tothetop.Otherwise,wewouldnothaveaQueenVictoria,aQueenMary,
aSultanaRaziaoraRaniLaxmiBaiwhoareproductsofthepatriarchy.

Reply Share

Titan000>SteveShaw ayearago

InMosuoculturethisleadstolackofparentalinvestmentonthemen'spart
comparedtopatriarchieswheremenownwomenandchildren.
Inancienthistorynomatriarchybecameacivilizationoranempire.Orifanydid
existwereconqueredbythesuperiormilitarymightofpatriarchy.
2

Reply Share

JC>Titan000 4monthsago

No,theywereconqueredbytheinferiorpatriarchalvalueswherebrute
forcewasusedagainstwomen.Matriarchieswerepeaceful"civilizations"
forthousandsofyears,wherethenotionofhonoringwomen(because
womenbringhumanbeingsintotheworldwithoursuperiorability),untilthe
maledecidedhewouldtrytocompetewiththat.Hecouldn't,sohechose
tousehisstrengthtocontrolnotmuchtobeimpressedwiththere.The
worldhasbeenrunbymaleselfishnesseversince.Lookatallthese
patriarchalsocietieswhereawarriormentalitypersists.Men'semotional
natureruinstheworld.BythatImeanwarisbasedonemotion,not
rationality.

Reply Share

Titan000>JC 4monthsago

Evidenceofsuchamatriarchalcivilizationsinhistory?
1

Reply Share

CJB>JC 3monthsago

Titanhasapoint
Patriarchalsocietieshavetendedtobeaggressiveinthebeginning
ofhumancivilization,butatthesametimethisaggressivenesshas
allowedcountriestogofromsmallcitystatestoempires.Andlarge
civilizationslikeempireswereabletocreatemanytechnological
andevenscientificwondersthatwestillenjoytoday.(Romanroad
networksandtheRomanmilitarystructuresaretheresultofbig
countrythatisabletosupportthis).Aggressivenessallows
societiestoevolveandadapt.OneofthereasonsthatEuropewas
sotechnologicallyadvancedinthe17thand18thcenturieswas
becausetheywerealwaysfightingsomewar.ThefewMatriarchal
societiesthatdidexistdidnothavethatsamelevelof
aggressivenesswhichstuntedprogress.Tosaythatallpatriarchal
societieswerehorribleineverywaypossibleisincorrectbecause
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

6/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
societieswerehorribleineverywaypossibleisincorrectbecause
modernsocietieswouldnotexistinthesameways.

Reply Share

nour ayearago

thatscool!
1

Reply Share

percynjpn ayearago

"Whorunstheworld?Inthesesixsocieties:Girls."
Somethingdoesn'tmakesensehere.
Also,intheLandoftheBlind,uglywomenarekingorsoitwouldappearbyyourphoto
justanobservation.

Reply Share

DennyPrihastawan>percynjpn ayearago

Soyouconsideryourselfabeautifulcreature?Byputtingupadogphotoforyour
profile,yourselfconfidenceonyourownphysicalpresenceshouldreallybe
questioned.Youdonothavetherightstocallanyoneelseuglyifyouarealso
ugly,orperhapsevenuglier.Justareminder.
16

Reply Share

MarkDanielJohansen ayearago

Whatisthedefinitionof"ruledbywomen"?Germanyhasawomanheadofstateright
now.Iwouldthinkitis,therefore,asocietyruledbyawoman.Statisticsroutinelyshow
thatwomenintheUnitedStatescontrolmorewealththanmen,andamajorityofthe
votersinmostelectionsarewomen,soonecouldarguethattheU.S.isruledbywomen.
7

Reply Share

DanielleCampbell>MarkDanielJohansen ayearago

OneglanceateitherHouseshouldtellyouthatwearenotruledbywomen.
Frankly,wearecurrentlyruledbycorporationsandrichassholes,butnotby
women.Ifwewere,thePentagonwouldlikelybeholdingbakesales,andour
childrenwouldnotbegoingwithoutfood.
11

Reply Share

Tronmartin>DanielleCampbell 9monthsago

Ourchildrenaregoingwithoutfoodbecauseofmom'sanddadswhodo
notreallythinkaboutorplantheirchildren.Bothgendersareresponsible
forchildrenthattheydonotwant,cannotaffordandchildrentheycannot
feed.Parentsarepoorrolemodelsfortheirchildrenwhenitcomestoliving
withintheirmeans.Gee,whatdoesthatmean?Westartourmarriagesoff
nowwithchildrenandwithdebt.Womenallwantbigweddingsand
diamondrings.Whynottakeallthatmoneyandputitawayasanestegg
orputadownpaymentonasmallhousethatneedsalittlework.Thenfixit
upalittleatatimeandthensellitforaprofit.What'swrongwithliving
withinyourmeans?Iamnotsayingthattherearenotsituationslike
catastrophicillnessesorfinancialhardshipsbutlivingindebtsetsyouup
tofailifsomethinghappens.Ourcorporationsandsomewealthypeople
andbusinesshaveprofitedwhileoureconomydeclinedthisistrue.
However,mypointisthatthereisstillalotofpersonalresponsibility
involvedhere.
Also,Ipersonallydonotwantthepentagontohaveabakesale.The
realityisthatourmilitaryiswhatallowsyoutopostyouropinionhere
withoutfearofretaliation.Ifyouthinkthatwomenrunningthecountry
wouldbebetterthanmenguessagain.Acongressfullofestrogenwould
bedifferentthanacongressfulloftestosteronebutnotanybetter.
BALANCEisthekey.

Reply Share

DanielleCampbell>Tronmartin 9monthsago

Ipersonallyhavenoproblemwiththeconceptoflivingwithinour
meansbuta)ourmeansincludethefederalmoniesfromthe
PEOPLE'Sland,andOURtaxes,andb)howwouldyou*know*it
wouldn'tbebetter?IthasneverhappenedYET.Balancedoesnot
looklike20womento200men.BALANCEwouldreflectthe
ACTUALpopulation,whichisMUCHcloserto50/50than1/10.I
actuallyagreewithyouonthewholesubjectofweddings,it'sa
racket,and,priortobreakinganengagement,mypersonalplans
weretoVegasit,andputthe"mahrem/dowry"moneymyex
fiance'straditionalfamilyinsistedonpayingintoatrustforfuture
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

7/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
fiance'straditionalfamilyinsistedonpayingintoatrustforfuture
offspring.HOWEVER,noamountofthemiddleandlowerclasses'
pennypinchingisgoingtodoathingtooffsettheastounding
HOARDINGofwealthbeingpassedthroughinheritancetotheone
percent.Everystudywilltellyou,ourmiddleclassisdisappearing,
andtheultraricharegettingricherateveryoneelse'sexpense.
Thisiswhathappenswhenminimumwageisn'traisedalongwith
costoflivingandinflation.Thisiswhathappenswhen
deregulationsreducestheavailabilityofjobswithbenefitsand
retirementpackages.Thisiswhathappenswhenweallowour
companiestooutsourceourjobswhilebenefitingfromourtaxcuts.
Ourpoliticianshaveallowedtheirpersonalcorporatesponsorsto
destroytheAmericanpeople,andit'stimeweshowedthem,
unequivocally,thatthisisunacceptable.And,no,I*don't*thinkour
rulingbodywouldbeactingexactlythesameifwomenwerein
charge,orevenifwejustACTUALLYhadtheEQUAL
REPRESENTATIONwefoughtarevolutionfor.
2

Reply Share

Tronmartin>DanielleCampbell 8monthsago

Idonotbelievethatourrulingbodywouldbeactingthesameif
womenwereincharge.Iwouldliketoseemorediversityinour
rulingbodytoo.However,goingfromoneextreme(allmen)tothe
otherextreme(allwomen)isnotnecessarily"better."
Asfortheminimumwage,Iamnotforraisingit.Here'swhy.First
letmestatethatIwasraisedinasingleparentfamily,Ihave
studentloans,childsupport,anddaughterincollegeherself.Iam
workingonmydegreestill.Aftermydivorceyearsagoandthe
declineofthehousingmarket,Iwassleepinginmycarforabout6
months.Iwasalwaysworking.Ihaveneverbeenrichand
probablywillneverbe.Now,whenIdecidedtohaveafamilymy
wifeandIwerebothworkinganddoingwellbutIstillaskedmyself,
"Ifsomethinghappenstomywife,willIstillbeabletoaffordtoraise
mychildwithoutgovernmentassistance?Theanswerwasyesso
wehadachild.
TherewasatimeinmylifewhenIwasmakingminimumwageand
IwassmartenoughtoknowthatIcouldnotaffordakid.
Apparently,peoplethingyoushouldbeabletosupportafamilyon
seemore

Reply Share

kookykatt>Tronmartin 4monthsago

Areyouforreal??!MANYMANYwomenvolunteeredafter911
asshole.NotonlydidtheyputtheirlivesonthelineASWELL,but
theyalsotooktherisktodefendthisshitholeofacountryknowing
thattheyfaceddiscrimination,sexism,mysoginy,rape,denialof
opportunity,fromtheMENwhodecidedweweren'tgoodenoughto
occupythegoodoleboysclub.Womenhavebeensenthomein
bodybags,rapedandkilledbytheAmericansoldierswhowere
supposedtobeonthesameside.SODON'TEVENGOTHERE
DUDE.
2

Reply Share

kookykatt>Tronmartin 4monthsago

Ohandbytheway,wherewereYOUthedayafter911?Hmm?

Reply Share

DerekC.Purdy>Tronmartin amonthago

Eveniftheyshoweduptotherecruitmentlinesthemilitarywouldn't
allowthemnearcombat.Andrememberthatmenmaygotowar
butwomengivebirthdude.Upuntiljustrecentlyinhumanhistory
birthoftenendedupindeathforthemother.Andjustastheriskof
deathformothersinbirthhasgonedownsohastheriskofdeath
forsoldierascomparedtothepast.IshouldalsosaythatIwasn't
intherecruitmentlineseitherbecauseIdidn'tandstilldon'tbelieve
thatretaliationingwastherightmovebutthat'sjustmyopinion.

Reply Share

DanielleCampbell>Tronmartin amonthago

Inadditiontotheresponsesyou'vealreadygottenrangingfrom
"whywouldwewanttofightDubya'sridiculousoilwarnumero
deuce"to"whywouldwelineuptoberapedbyourmilitarythat's

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

8/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss
deuce"to"whywouldwelineuptoberapedbyourmilitarythat's
oh,sotolerantofsoldierswhorapetheirfemalecompatriots"to"if
we'renotallowedtofight,whywouldweenlisttobeyourfucking
cook",there'ssimplythis:the"livingwage"issothatpeoplecan
liveafulllife.Thatmeansbeingabletoreproduceevenifyou'renot
arichasshole.Effectivelysterilizingthepoorisnomorenorless
thaneugenicsonaclasswarfarescale.THATiswhathavinga
minimumwagebelowalivingwagedoes.Don'tpretendtoyourself
thatyou'readvocatinganythingless.We'renotaskingfor
"entitlement",we'reaskingfor"equality",whichisnotearnedwitha
penisorawillingnesstodieforsomerichasshole'spointless
vendettaofpersonalgain.Youwanttotalk"entitled"?Youwere
BIRTHEDbyawoman,whorippedhergenitalsinhalfandrisked
deathtogiveyoulife.Anyoffspringyouspawnwillbebirthedby
anotherwomanwhohasdonethesame.Yetyouthinkyou're
somehowbetterthanthem,andmoreentitledtoequality,because
youhavebeenfortunateenoughtobebornwithmoremuscle
mass.Testosteronefueledpoordecisionmakingdoesnotentitle
youtojack,anditcertainlydidn'tentitleyoutothebreathsome
womangaveyou.Wanttotalkpatriotismandwar?Justwhothe
helldoyouthinkstartsallthesewars?Thewomenwhosechildren
aredyingforthem?Notsomuch,bud.

Reply Share

DerekC.Purdy>DanielleCampbell amonthago

Thematriarchalthingtodowouldtonotgetmarried.Marriageisan
inventionofthepatriarchy.Ameansofsellingfemalereproductive
capabilitieswithoutreducingtheirstatustoaslaves.

Reply Share

DanielleCampbell>DerekC.Purdy amonthago

Whydoyouassumethatmarriage=reproduction?Noteveryone
wantstocrapoutakidjustbecausethey'rephysicallycapableof
doingso.Howdoyouknowit'snotameansofensuringasteady
supplyoftheDwithoutincreasingariskofSTIs?Marriagehas
beenaroundlongbeforeourrestrictedmodernviewofthe
convention,andisadifferentconstructindifferentsocieties,both
acrosstimeandacrosscultures.Noone'saskingforamatriarchy,
we'rejustaskingforequalrepresentation,nomorenorlessthan
ourfoundingfathersdid.

Reply Share

vitorodriguez>MarkDanielJohansen 7monthsago

developedbymenthough.menmadetherules.sheisjustplayingbythem.soits
notamtriarcalsocietyifsheruledforthenext20years

Reply Share

RogerWilco ayearago

Whocares.Ick!

Reply Share

Leez ayearago

Istheeditoronvacation?
1

Reply Share

Loadmorecomments

Subscribe

AddDisqustoyoursiteAddDisqusAdd

Privacy

ALSOONMENTALFLOSS:

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

9/10

3/5/2016

6ModernSocietiesWhereWomenLiterallyRule|MentalFloss

ABOUT RSS PRIVACY TERMS CONTACT SUBSCRIBE STORE GIVEAGIFT CUSTOMERSERVICE NEWSLETTER
aregisteredtrademarkownedbyFelixDennis.mentalfloss.comisatrademarkownedbyFelixDennis.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/31274/6modernsocietieswherewomenliterallyrule

2016MentalFloss,Inc.All
rightsreserved.MentalFlossis

10/10