Writing Matriarchy: Basics
What is a matriarchy?
A matriarchy is a society dominated by women in the political sphere. That does not necessarily mean that there are no restrictions placed upon women by either the law or by society, but rather that the majority of the people in power will be women, and the majority of privileges granted by double standards will rest with women. The bulk of the agency, power, and control will rest with women in a matriarchy, and femininity is valued more highly then masculinity. Women will likely be paid more, on average, then men. Also very likely is the expectation for women to have careers, to be the primary breadwinners for their family unit, and to have familial things such as houses or cars owned under their names.
What is not a matriarchy?
A society with one women as the head of state, or where women in authority is treated as an oddity by the society’s citizens.
Tangentially related to this question is the following: you should avoid consulting this guide if you are writing about a place which is full of hearts and flowers and a complete lack of conflict because women are in charge. This is also inapplicable if you’re writing about a place which is a complete shithole run by incompetent whiney bitches because women are in charge. If you’re really looking to write a story where all women are special sparkly princesses or where all women really need a man to guide them, please hold off reading this until you take a Women’s Studies class or six, or have figured out the problems with writing a cast of homogeneous characters. This is about how to write a matriarchy that is realistic enough to convince your readers that it is as feasible as the patriarchal systems they read about in pretty much every other book. It's about world building. It's less how to write to get your message of choice across clearly, and more about making your made-up society a place for your characters to live in.
Why would you want to write about a matriarchy?
1) You are writing a piece of fanfiction set on a canonically matriarchal world which you feel could use some fleshing out.
2) You are writing a piece of fanfiction set in a world that you personally read as matriarchal, and want to expand on that.
3) You are writing a piece of original fiction and want to flip most or all of the gender roles for the plot.
4) You are writing an original piece of feminist fantasy, and see matriarchy as a natural element for it.
5) You are writing an original piece of sci-fi and want your aliens to have a culture distinctly different from whatever could be termed Earth’s dominant culture.
6) You are writing an original piece of fiction which includes a society which has a majority of women in power, and having it be a matriarchal culture rather than a gender-equal or patriarchal eliminates some of the fridge logic.
7) You are writing a piece of fiction (original or fan) which takes place after most of the men have died off.
I’m sure there are other reasons, but that’s what I came up with on the top of my head.
What would you see in a matriarchy?
Women in charge, i.e. female Presidents, Prime Ministers, Queens, Chairwomen, and the like would be the norm. At every level of government, women would be common, and in some cases, far, far more common, than men. Because hierarchies of power based on something as arbitrary as gender will invariably suck for a lot of people, there will either be a Men’s Rights movement or a group of characters who are a bit angry at how much being a man sucks for them. There will be misandry, the matriarchal counterpart of misogyny. Ambitious men will hit a glass ceiling put in place by women. You might also see the reverse of anything mentioned below.
What wouldn’t you see in a matriarchy?
The reverse of any of the above won’t be present, of course. Nor will there be any sort of menstrual taboo- very likely, there will be little-to-nothing of any view that holds women to be in some way unclean. You will not find the idea that women are incapable of raping or harming men: women hold the power after all, and depending on what your society’s norms are, inflicting harm on men may be considered a woman’s right (especially in a marital relationship) or seen as horrifying abuse. There will be no ‘mommy track’- where mothers who take time out of their careers to care for their kids are put on a slower track to advancement- either because it’s considered a natural part of life, or because there is a ‘daddy track’ instead.
How do I use this guide?
Well, you read it, and when questions are posed, you determine whether or not they pertain to your story and answer them if they do. (I;d advise you to err on the side of answering: just because you build more into your world then you could ever use doesn't means that it isn't all useful) There's some information on the resource post you should take a look at as well. I ask that you comment with any questions you have at the bottom of the relevant post (the relevant post for the whole shebang being this one), and not to post any questions on the resource post. That is for links to pages you see as having relevant information.
Variants Values Language Reminder Intersections Resources
A matriarchy is a society dominated by women in the political sphere. That does not necessarily mean that there are no restrictions placed upon women by either the law or by society, but rather that the majority of the people in power will be women, and the majority of privileges granted by double standards will rest with women. The bulk of the agency, power, and control will rest with women in a matriarchy, and femininity is valued more highly then masculinity. Women will likely be paid more, on average, then men. Also very likely is the expectation for women to have careers, to be the primary breadwinners for their family unit, and to have familial things such as houses or cars owned under their names.
What is not a matriarchy?
A society with one women as the head of state, or where women in authority is treated as an oddity by the society’s citizens.
Tangentially related to this question is the following: you should avoid consulting this guide if you are writing about a place which is full of hearts and flowers and a complete lack of conflict because women are in charge. This is also inapplicable if you’re writing about a place which is a complete shithole run by incompetent whiney bitches because women are in charge. If you’re really looking to write a story where all women are special sparkly princesses or where all women really need a man to guide them, please hold off reading this until you take a Women’s Studies class or six, or have figured out the problems with writing a cast of homogeneous characters. This is about how to write a matriarchy that is realistic enough to convince your readers that it is as feasible as the patriarchal systems they read about in pretty much every other book. It's about world building. It's less how to write to get your message of choice across clearly, and more about making your made-up society a place for your characters to live in.
Why would you want to write about a matriarchy?
1) You are writing a piece of fanfiction set on a canonically matriarchal world which you feel could use some fleshing out.
2) You are writing a piece of fanfiction set in a world that you personally read as matriarchal, and want to expand on that.
3) You are writing a piece of original fiction and want to flip most or all of the gender roles for the plot.
4) You are writing an original piece of feminist fantasy, and see matriarchy as a natural element for it.
5) You are writing an original piece of sci-fi and want your aliens to have a culture distinctly different from whatever could be termed Earth’s dominant culture.
6) You are writing an original piece of fiction which includes a society which has a majority of women in power, and having it be a matriarchal culture rather than a gender-equal or patriarchal eliminates some of the fridge logic.
7) You are writing a piece of fiction (original or fan) which takes place after most of the men have died off.
I’m sure there are other reasons, but that’s what I came up with on the top of my head.
What would you see in a matriarchy?
Women in charge, i.e. female Presidents, Prime Ministers, Queens, Chairwomen, and the like would be the norm. At every level of government, women would be common, and in some cases, far, far more common, than men. Because hierarchies of power based on something as arbitrary as gender will invariably suck for a lot of people, there will either be a Men’s Rights movement or a group of characters who are a bit angry at how much being a man sucks for them. There will be misandry, the matriarchal counterpart of misogyny. Ambitious men will hit a glass ceiling put in place by women. You might also see the reverse of anything mentioned below.
What wouldn’t you see in a matriarchy?
The reverse of any of the above won’t be present, of course. Nor will there be any sort of menstrual taboo- very likely, there will be little-to-nothing of any view that holds women to be in some way unclean. You will not find the idea that women are incapable of raping or harming men: women hold the power after all, and depending on what your society’s norms are, inflicting harm on men may be considered a woman’s right (especially in a marital relationship) or seen as horrifying abuse. There will be no ‘mommy track’- where mothers who take time out of their careers to care for their kids are put on a slower track to advancement- either because it’s considered a natural part of life, or because there is a ‘daddy track’ instead.
How do I use this guide?
Well, you read it, and when questions are posed, you determine whether or not they pertain to your story and answer them if they do. (I;d advise you to err on the side of answering: just because you build more into your world then you could ever use doesn't means that it isn't all useful) There's some information on the resource post you should take a look at as well. I ask that you comment with any questions you have at the bottom of the relevant post (the relevant post for the whole shebang being this one), and not to post any questions on the resource post. That is for links to pages you see as having relevant information.
Variants Values Language Reminder Intersections Resources