Why Does Patriarchy Persist?

The election of an unabashedly patriarchal man as US President was a shock for many—despite decades of activism on gender inequalities and equal rights, how could it come to this? What is it about patriarchy that seems to make it so resilient and resistant to change? Undoubtedly it endures in part because some people benefit from the unequal advantages it confers. But is that enough to explain its stubborn persistence? In this highly original and persuasively argued book, Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider put forward a different view: they argue that patriarchy persists because it serves a psychological function. By requiring us to sacrifice love for the sake of hierarchy, patriarchy protects us from the vulnerability of loving and becomes a defense against loss. Uncovering the powerful psychological mechanisms that underpin patriarchy, the authors show how forces beyond our awareness may be driving a politics that otherwise seems inexplicable.

Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 Part 1 17 The Puzzle 17 The First Clue: An Association to Loss 25 Resistance 32 Loss 45 The Three Discoveries 72 A Summary 89 Part 2 91 Knowing This, Then What? 91 Finding Resonance, Repairing Ruptures 119 Leaving Patriarchy 121 Where Then Do We Stand? 134 Notes 146 Index 160