It’s important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity because patriarchy in this case is a system of society or government in which men have power and women are largely excluded from it. It’s best to see patriarchy as a system rather than a person because anyone can take over. If patriarchy was considered just an individual identity well let’s put it this way, may ask yourself who does patriarchy advantage and how? Well Allan G. Johnson defines patriarchy as a society that promotes male privilege by being male dominated, male identified, and male centered. At this point, males are who are being paid more, respected more, have the privilege of feeling safe in their day-to-day lives, and are given more promotions. Then on the other side, we have women that are the ones being disadvantaged and oppressed not by individual men, but by an underlying bias of a patriarchal society. They are being disadvantaged in that women still must work, often the main caregiver for their child, paid less, treated unfairly; harassed, gender stereotypes, sexism in the workplace, inequality in the workforce, and the lack of feeling safe in their daily lives.

Johnson addresses the common misconceptions and stereotypes that people inaccurately identify with the term patriarchy. He notes that we are all part of the system and to see the change we need to be aware of our actions. The system is made up of cultural symbols and ideologies that influence how we socialize and participate in society. 

In the second reading of this week, Audre Lorde Discusses the intersectional thinking that supports oppression. Lorde wants us to understand that there is more than one problem when reading “there is no hierarchy of oppression” she mentions that she is black in that community and a lesbian, and that any attack on black people is a lesbian and homosexual issue, As a society, we must make the necessary changes. She argues that feminism encompasses all identities, without prioritizing some oppressions over others.