It is important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity because it takes a society as a whole to make said system work. One person alone cannot form the patriarchy; instead, his/her society teaches him the values and practices of patriarchy that he/she then follows or indulges in. Allan Johnson refers to capitalist workers in a society and how capitalism would simply not exist without the workers; therefore, simply attributing capitalism to the capitalist employers would not be enough. Patriarchy is enabled by the thoughts that both men and women have and the way they enact them in their daily lives. He says, “Instead, by participating in patriarchy we are of patriarchy and it is of us. Both exist through the other, and neither
exists without the other”. No one man can enforce the patriarchy all by himself, it is a collection of individuals (system) that continue to enable the patriarchy and allow it to exist. Furthermore, the patriarchy continues because of the structures in our culture that do not challenge it. Women are consistently exploited at work but underpaid when compared to their counterparts. They are then further exploited at home doing more work which is unpaid and undervalued. Gender stereotypes occur in the media, where women are portrayed to be sexual beings while men are those strong, money-making figures who belittle women. Men are accepted to be more violent than women, while women are viewed as passive beings and are discriminated against when they are not. We see this even in children’s shows and movies, which means that these stereotypes are taught to us from very young ages and the processes are then difficult, and almost impossible, to unlearn. Women are expected to fulfill certain roles in the work field, while other jobs are dominated by men. These can all be categorized into the different levels of oppression, which when amalgamated form the patriarchy and further disable and restrict women.

• Personal – Feelings, thoughts, beliefs about others and attitudes about differences (conscious and intentional or unconscious and unintentional). Slut-shaming women for the clothes they wear or their sexual activity is one example of personal oppression.
• Interpersonal – Language, action, and behaviors. Men dominate women at home.
• Institutional – Rules, policies, practices and procedures, both written and unwritten, that an organization has that function to intentionally or unintentionally, advantage some individuals and disadvantage others. There is a huge pay gap in men and women’s salaries.
• Cultural/Structural – What is considered “true,” “right,” “normal,” and “beautiful.” Men are aggressive beings, while women are passive and understanding.