Patriarchs - bishops of certain churches - exercise a patriarchy.
When determining the etymological origin of the term patriarchy , we would have to say that it comes from Greek. And it is made up of two parts of that language: patria , which can be translated as "family or offspring", and archo , which acts as a synonym for "to command."
Patriarchy is the territory of a patriarch 's jurisdiction, his dignity or the length of time it lasts. The concept is also used to name the authority or government of the patriarch.
This concept (patriarch), on the other hand, allows us to name the dignity of the bishops of certain churches, the founder of a religious order and some of the Old Testament characters who were heads of large families. Patriarch is also the one who, due to his age and wisdom, exercises authority in a community or in a family .
Patriarchy according to sociology
Returning to the notion of patriarchy, we can say that, for sociology , it is a primitive social organization where authority is exercised by a male leader . This power extends to relatives of the same lineage.
In other words, a patriarchy is a system in which men dominate women . Men exert oppression over members of the female gender, appropriating their productive and reproductive strength by peaceful or violent means.
In a patriarchy, men occupy positions of power.
The case of the gypsies
Since this type of organization does not exist, in theory, in modern Western society, the notion of patriarchy is used to criticize and condemn those behaviors or policies with a sexist tinge.
However, despite this, we have to establish that in our days there is a culture that is committed to the indisputable figure of a patriarch. We are referring to the gypsy culture , which grants that title to an older male . He will exercise not only, by experience and wisdom, authority within his family but also within a certain group of people.
This honor given to him leads him to become the person most responsible for ensuring compliance with the different laws of the gypsy ethnic group and in charge of solving the different disputes and conflicts that may arise between two or more families.
As a general rule, the gypsy patriarch is identified by his hat and his cane as well as by being accompanied by two or more people who will be in charge of watching over him. When applying the law of your culture, you will always take into account its most important values such as respect for the elderly, the important role of the family, the chastity of women, the need to keep one's word. that is given. And, in relation to this last case, the most important thing that every gypsy has is precisely his word.
Patriarchy at work and other areas
The sexual division of labor , with women in charge of unpaid activities such as housework , or low-paid jobs, is linked to a certain kind of patriarchy since men manage money.
The same goes for domestic violence and sexual harassment , which oppress women.