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The Groundwork for Heteropatriarchy

Heteropatriarchy is a system of social dominance in which heterosexual men are privileged and routinely rewarded for presenting masculine traits. Conversely, women or people that display traits deemed feminine receive less societal privilege. Historically this has manifested in economic disadvantages such as unequal pay, or the inability for women to own land.

Heteropatriarchy is a facet of popular feminist analysis used to explain modern social structure, which is based on a hierarchical system of interlocking forces of power and oppression. It is commonly understood in this context that men typically occupy the highest positions of power and women experience the bulk of social oppression. This organization is reinforced by the gender norms, which ascribes traits of femininity and masculinity to men and women.

One of the building blocks of this system is the normalization of the nuclear family as the typical family unit, a model that dictates the necessity of two heterosexual parents with the ability to produce offspring. Within this familial structure, men hold power over women by being “breadwinners” and maintaining control over wealth/resources. This practice is supported by institutions such as religion- who name men as ‘masters’, the workplace- which excludes women from high ranking positions based on the possibility of reproduction, and education- which socialize boys towards respected fields such as hard sciences and girls toward ‘softer’, less respected careers.

The distinction of heteropatriarchy from patriarchy serves to emphasize the necessary use of sexism and exclusion of non- heterosexual peoples to create a culture in which straight men are the most highly valued citizens.

It is theorized that heteropatriarchy became the dominant ideology in Ancient Greece in times of war, when brute force and strength were valued. As these traits grew into popularity, feminine traits were simultaneously being condemned and promoting the idea that women were lesser beings.

This ideology has been promoted through the use of colonization and spreading of Eurocentric culture.