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TechnoratiBut, why is patriarchy so important? Longman answers that question with great care. "Patriarchal societies come in many varieties and evolve through different stages," he explains. "What they have in common are customs and attitudes that collectively serve to maximize fertility and parental investment in the next generation."
A culture of patriarchy directs men to their responsibilities as husbands and fathers. Men who fail in these responsibilities are seen as inferior to those who are both faithful and effective. Furthermore, a patriarchal structure holds men accountable for the care, protection, discipline, and nurture of children. In such a society, irresponsibility in the tasks of parenthood is seen as a fundamental threat to civilization itself.
Longman quotes feminist economist Nancy Folbre, who observed: "Patriarchal control over women tends to increase their specialization in reproductive labor, with important consequences for both the quantity and the quality of their investments in the next generation." As Longman explains, "Those consequences arguably include: more children receiving more attention from their mothers, who, having few other ways of finding meaning in their lives, become more skilled at keeping their children safe and healthy."
Clearly, decisions about reproduction are made in connection with many other decisions and priorities in life. Research conclusively indicates that a couple's ideological commitments are correlated to reproduction. Longman summarizes the data this way: "The great difference in fertility rates between secular individualists and religious or culture conservatives augurs a vast, demographically driven change in Western societies."
Longman understands that his proposal will be controversial. After all, many persons associate patriarchy with either male superiority or brutal misogyny. Longman understands that these are exceptions rather than the rule. Pointing to the patriarchal excesses of Taliban rebels or Muslim fanatics in Nigeria, Longman states: "Yet these are examples of insecure societies that have degenerated into male tyrannies, and they do not represent the form of patriarchy that has achieved evolutionary advantage in human history. Under a true patriarchal system, such as in early Rome or 17th century Protestant Europe, fathers have strong reason to take an active interest in the children their wives bear. That is because, when men come to see themselves, and are seen by others, as upholders of a patriarchal line, how those children turn out directly affects their own rank and honor."
Longman's logic comes down to this – men are far more likely to assume and fulfill these responsibilities if the society values the role of fathers as leaders in the home, as breadwinners, and as protectors of the larger family structure and of civilization itself. Continue »
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