Patriarchy is a system of beliefs, politically surrounded values, relationships, and economic and social systems in which gender disparity between women and men is structured. Therefore it is important to recognize it as a system and not an individual identity. In matters of personal thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, men are criticized for being oppressive people. Some women freely blame male individuals for patriarchy. Individual guilt and blame are due to personal failures among people of color, females, or the poor, who do not have the right to something and compete with others like whites and those who make something for themselves. These individual men tend to fight back by thinking that they are men and therefore have more powers than women (Johnson 27).

Interpersonal level on action, behavior, and language, patriarchy works in that in cases of rape, as an example, it is believed to be acts of men who are either sick or angry, not putting into consideration the possible causes pushing them to commit sexual violence and no other cases. In some scenarios, what is gained from socialization may be false; however, powerful forces may need individuals to keep themselves in denial to rationalize what is taught. A social system is made when agreed upon by all participants (Johnson 33). Language, for instance, is made normal when phrases or words that are not good are tolerated by people, making it be used severally as no one or less resistance is felt. The institutional level has patriarchy as a system. For instance, men cover up for their male colleagues who are doing something wrong, say, young women, which is against the law. They tend to pretend they have not seen it, watch and enjoy or even walk away before it goes bad. This is because they know it will happen to them someday and will need the same treatment; hence they do not provoke.

At a structural or cultural level, a partial system involves ideas and symbols that create a culture surrounded by everyday discussion of war practices. In this case, ideas of masculinity and manhood are considered human in society, while women and feminists are considered marginalized (Johnson 40). This is what people of certain cultures know how their social life is or what is imaginary be of what they feel and expected of them. Men are thought to be naturally dominant, valued, and aggressive, while women are cooperative, devalued, and subordinate.

In conclusion, patriarchy as a system is used in all levels of oppression, meaning that there is much disparity and discrimination on gender, race, and class in social life.

• I think it is important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not as an individual identity for the fact that even though patriarchy system give man “all the power and authority” many men might not identify with it or practice it. Also, I think it doesn’t not necessary trigger a person itself but a group of people that identify with the group.  There are many factors that create or develop certain action in some cultures than others even though the system is patriarchy “We would be quick to explain rape and battery as the acts of sick or angry men, but without taking seriously the question of what kind of society would produce so much male anger and pathology or direct it toward sexual violence rather than something else.” Rather than privileges’ some and oppress others we need to get to the root of it.  
• One thing that stand out to me in the reading “Patriarchy, the System” is the fact that system somehow is actually society constructed “In addition to socialization, participation in social systems shapes our behavior through paths of least resistance, a concept that refers to a feature of social systems that guides the conscious and unconscious choices we make from one moment to the next.” Patriarchy is a way of organizing social life through which such wounding, failure, and mistreatment are bound to occur. 

• Personal – Feelings, thoughts, beliefs about others and attitudes about differences (conscious and intentional or unconscious and unintentional). 

 “I know what you really mean—me!” A lot of people hear “men” whenever someone says “patriarchy,” so that criticism of male privilege and the oppression of women is taken to mean that all men—each and every one of them—are oppressive people. 

how each word has been transformed from a positive cultural image of female power, independence, and dignity to an insult or a shadow of its former self, leaving few words to identify women in ways both positive and powerful. 

• Interpersonal – Language, action, and behaviors. Immigrants from many countries whose English might not be proficient suffer this kind of oppression. 

• 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. This is something we see a lot and many considerate it as racism when it comes to justice and Afro-American compare to justice and White people. 

• Cultural/Structural – What is considered “true,” “right,” “normal,” and “beautiful.”  In many cultures is okay that a man has more than one wife, or a young woman to marry an old man. 

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.

It is important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity because it affects people and society as a whole no matter the background.  Take abortion as an example, the laws and bills being passed are conduct by male politicians who are politicizing what a woman should with her body. They are manipulating the system by using this unwritten rule to tell women when they can or can not abort a baby that they might feel like they are too young to give birth to or even sexual assault. Women feel trapped like they do not get to have freedom in this decision and as well believe they do not have control over their own bodies. The patriarchy not only affects women, it also affects men too. One group of men it impacts are LBGT+ males.  Their suicide rates are higher than the heterosexual males. It affects males’ mental health. When we talk about this subject, males are always having to put on a mask in front of society whilst females do not. To suck it up and follow the rules of the patriarchy. If one doesn’t have a drop of masculinity then he isn’t a real man.  Sexuality means that in a patriarchal setup, heterosexuality is and should be the norm. Other sexual preferences are seen as violation of patriarchal norms and therefore liable to be punished by society. It justifies the objectification of women and the male gaze and women being perceived as instruments of male gratification. In the cultural level of oppression, males describe “normal” or “beautiful” standards as females being hairless, obedient, feminine and even something as complicated as not too skinny but not fat either. It does not stop there though. With institutional level of oppression, work spaces or even school it is supposed to be normal to do the same job while the males get paid higher. In school, girls are supposed to dress a certain way that does not distract males which in reality is false. The system needs to look at this matter and discuss it further because we should not be responsible for males not being able to focus. We ourselves have some body shapes and even features we just can not control. All of these levels influence each other with the patriarchy system because they all discuss and show how males tend to have behaviors or scenarios where the female is always put under intentional or unintentional.  

By understanding the patriarchy in a structural sense you become further informed on how to dismantle it. Our day to day occurs due to the structure of the system. It’s laws, it’s lack of representation for all others who are not white men, and lack of education. 

PERSONAL/INTERPERSONAL/INSTITUTIONAL/CULTURAL

Though every one has the right to their own opinion there are certain facts that can be turned into opinion. Example, all those that are for the bill in Florida towards not discussing anything LGBT in schools. By siding with this bill you are siding with homophobia. Many have said that homophobia is a wrong descriptor for those who “oppose” homosexual relation, it instead directs the narrative of fear of homosexuals. However, the word is true. Being afraid of accepting and understanding a complete normal way of life and human nature only due to “societal beliefs”, is homophobia. Which as the patriarchal system proves is for, it is very simple to not turn a sexuality into any legal matter yet it still occurs. Any lgbtq+ issue does not need to be legalized it needs to be understood and accepted as day to day life. Many people have to live their life’s dictated by someone else’s opinion that do not go through the same experiences as those who are oppressed. 

Another example would be the issue surrounding abortion. The first few readings of class we touched upon Bell Hooks understanding of feminism. Her perspective, in my opinion is by far the best defense for when feminism meets conservatism. Being a feminist entails the support and advocation for women’s rights. Being so, the advocation for women’s right to their reproductive system regardless of your own faith. I too have always stressed this perspective. No matter what your personal beliefs are it should not stop others from the right to control what is happening to their bodies. Being that there are a multitude of reasons why a woman might not be able to go through a pregnancy none of which is anyones business other than their own. Of course having this right means rules and laws that set limitations so the right is not abused and it becomes a lack of sexual education. -Which too gets checked off once there is a system in place that deeply educates people on said topics. Lack of information and knowledge is the sole reason for the abusive system and it’s draining power.

I think its important women are still getting paid way less than men in most industries, because women get only 3 months of maternity, no months for when have a miscarriage, and because sexual assault in offices are a huge problem still and because 1 in 5 women in America alone get assaulted, and because its the system that allows this to run rampant in this country even though individuals fight against it. Women will have work harder for bigger opportunities as men wouldn’t and that is on way patriarchy exists. 

Audre Lorde, “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” spoke about being a part of the black and lesbian community and being oppressed because those communities are seen as abnormal. She stated in her writing “Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am lesbian” which shows that direction she takes she faces obstacles of oppression. She mentions that there can be no hierarchy of oppression She has this concept of concurring all the oppression and having a society where being a woman, lesbian, black or a mother does not result in oppression. Allan G. Johnson “Patriarchy, the system: An it, Not a he or an Us” expressed the importance of acknowledging patriarchy as a system and not as an individual. Patriarchy is a society organized around certain kinds of social relationships and ideas. The reading discusses the male dominated society we live in and shows the relationship between the individual and social structure. Johnson states that it is necessary for a person to be outwardly oppressive to be participants in an oppressive society, because if a society is inherently oppressive, individuals will “accept, identify with, and participate in it as normal” It is through the systematic encouragement of oppression and privilege that mistreatment and wounding of certain groups can continue, unaddressed.

The four levels in that demonstrates the impact that patriarchy has on the society are “Personal” which has to do with the feeling, thoughts, and belief about others whether conscious or unconscious. This can be seen as a man (breadwinner) having the final decisions in his family arrangements. “Interpersonal” which are action that can inflict violence. “Institutionalized Patriarchy” are policies, practices, and procedures that an organization can give priority over one another. In some cases, men are given managerial positions over women. “Cultural/Structural” are what is considered to be “true”, “right, “normal” or “beautiful”.

Audre Lorde, “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions”  spoke about being apart of the black and lesbian community and being oppressed because those communities are seen as abnormal. She stated in her writing “Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am lesbian” which shows that direction she takes she faces obstacles of oppression. She mentions that there can be no hierarchy of oppression She has this concept of concurring all the oppression and having a society where being a woman, lesbian, black or a mother does not result in oppression. Allan G. Johnson “Patriarchy, the system: An it, Not a he or an Us” expressed the importance of acknowledging patriarchy as a system and not as an individual. Patriarchy is a society organized around certain kinds od social relationships and ideas. The reading discusses the male dominated society we live in and shows the relationship between the individual and social structure. Johnson states that it is necessary for a person to be outwardly oppressive to be participants in an oppressive society, because if a society is inherently oppressive, individuals will “accept, identify with, and participate in it as normal” It is through the systematic encouragement of oppression and privilege that mistreatment and wounding of certain groups can continue, unaddressed.

The four levels in that demonstrates the impact that patriarchy has on the society are “Personal” which has to do with the feeling, thoughts, and belief about others whether conscious or unconscious. This can be seen as a man (breadwinner) having the final decisions in his family arrangements. “Interpersonal” which are action that can inflict violence. “Institutionalized Patriarchy” are policies, practices, and procedures that an organization can give priority over one another. In some cases, men are given managerial positions over women. “Cultural/Structural” are what is considered to be “true”, “right, “normal” or “beautiful”.

Gender-related social roles that are assigned in daily interactions and practices are the
result of patriarchal power relations. The term “patriarchy” means the system of socially
constructed inequality between men and women as they are defined in the political, social, and economic contexts they live in (Soman, 2009). Women are generally excluded from participating fully in politics and economic affairs within patriarchal systems. Feminists have distanced the links between patriarchy and individual thinking since they consider it a collective identity among capitalists, colonialists, and nationalists. Several scholars claim that patriarchy is a well-coordinated niche that exists among various societal levels, which all entail these respective levels. The various patriarchal systems organize social linkages and personalities in a hierarchical scope. Researchers have also argued that patriarchy as a system is extensively universal and far-reaching in conceptualizing unfair associations of different gender based on historical and cultural beliefs (Soman, 2009). These beliefs permit the existence of inequalities while blocking any potentiality to change the norm to embrace equality between men and women. Patriarchy depicts a social structure rather than an
individual mentality where activities and thoughts on men’s authority exceed women’s. This inequality between men and women is applied across several societies worldwide. In these cases, the father has viewed the overall head of the family. Interestingly, in the absence of the father, the eldest male child is regarded as the head of the family at the expense of their mother.Additionally, after marriage, the wife may be requested to acquire the husband’s name and not vice versa. As indicated above, it is clear that patriarchy is a system that is spread all over the
world and does not evolve in individual identity.

Impact of Patriarchy at Different Levels in the Society
As illustrated above, patriarchy is a system rather than an individual personality.
However, it is particular individuals who practice their feelings and social activities and are part of the institutions and spheres where patriarchy is exercised. As a result, these patriarchal thoughts and actions oppress the victims at different levels. Notable levels of oppression resulting from patriarchy include personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural/cultural (Bañales et al., 2021). At a personal level, patriarchy concerns thoughts and feelings towardsother people concerning their differences consciously or unconsciously. At a personal level,patriarchy can lead to toxic masculinity, insinuating persons to engage in negative societal deeds such as sexual assault and violence, reckless consumption of illicit drugs, and mental retardation.Interpersonal patriarchy entails the mode of communication, accomplishment, and character. Patriarchy significantly influences interpersonal disagreements since it combines several factors from the intentions to cause violence and uncalled cultural and individual reactions in the community. Patriarchy is a complex and multidimensional social doctrine that leads into most social-ecological beliefs and characters where men view their usual counterpart genders as inferior. Institutional patriarchy stems from some of the community guidelines, policies, and comprehensive legislation that could significantly undermine the usual victims of patriarchy (women). Institutional patriarchy is well depicted in various fields such as law, government, and the press. The court may literally issue rulings based on the presumption that men have supreme powers over women and can do anything towards their wives or female colleagues. Finally, structural levels of patriarchy oppression debate what should be the norm or factual. Several strict gender roles are exercised across different communities because of patriarchal values. Patriarchal gender beliefs could lead to crimes due to violence like gay criticism and oppression against men by their fellow men who perceive their patriarchal masculinity as being undermined.

The well-known definition of patriarchy is that the father or eldest male would be the head of the family. That is the definition I always went by. During the reading “Patriarchy, the System: An It, not a He, a Them, or an Us” by Allan G. Jackson, discusses how the concept of patriarchy is a system rather than being an individual identity. According to Johnson, patriarchal culture is “how social life is and should be, about what is expected of individuals and how they feel, how they are required to appear and behave.” As humans we tend to blame things on other individuals. We don’t usually go farther than that, we should ask why society would allow this or so on. Why is it important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity? Well, if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t see why it was important to recognize patriarchy as a system rather than it being an individual identity. Reading the passage, I was able to see why we should. Jackson says, “If we see patriarchy as nothing more than men’s and women’s individual personalities, motivations, and behavior, then it won’t occur to us to ask about larger contexts—such as institutions like the family, religion, and the economy—and how people’s lives are shaped in relation to them.”  What I believe he means by this is that if we always focus on an individual’s doing, we wouldn’t see the bigger picture. We must identify and address the societal foundations that produce and nourish the social problems that are reflected in and displayed through individual conduct. This is greater than us. 

As mentioned in “Thoughts on Discussion 4,” there are several levels of oppression. These levels include Personal, Interpersonal, Institutional, and Cultural/Structural. Why are we discussing the different types of levels of oppression? how patriarchy might work at each level and how those levels influence one another? Before reading these passages, I didn’t realize how closely related these topics were. Oppression is the abuse of authority or power that is unfair or harsh. Personal are the feelings, thoughts, beliefs about others and attitudes about differences. Interpersonal is language, action, and behaviors. Institutions are 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. Cultural/Structural is considered “true,” “right,” “normal,” and “beautiful.” We are surrounded by these; they are part of our daily life. Patriarchy, like most types of tyranny, attempts to persuade us that things are the way they are because they have to be, that they have always been that way, that there are no alternatives, and that they will never change. The issue is whether it will remain that way.