About: Matriarchy in Name Only   Sponge Permalink

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In a fantasy world where women are considered to be the ruling gender and men are not, unlike the opposite that occurs in the overwhelming majority of civilizations in the real world, it raises some problems. Most writers do not have experience living in a civilization where women are the ruling class, and, as Most Writers Are Male, they can often be a little less mindful of what about female behaviour is naturally female and what is a sexist distortion. And if they're writing a Sexy Matriarchy for personal gratification purposes, they aren't going to really care. This is all very well and good, but it can cause Selective Squick for viewers who are seeking examples of genuinely assertive female characters in a believable speculative fiction setting.

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  • Matriarchy in Name Only
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  • In a fantasy world where women are considered to be the ruling gender and men are not, unlike the opposite that occurs in the overwhelming majority of civilizations in the real world, it raises some problems. Most writers do not have experience living in a civilization where women are the ruling class, and, as Most Writers Are Male, they can often be a little less mindful of what about female behaviour is naturally female and what is a sexist distortion. And if they're writing a Sexy Matriarchy for personal gratification purposes, they aren't going to really care. This is all very well and good, but it can cause Selective Squick for viewers who are seeking examples of genuinely assertive female characters in a believable speculative fiction setting.
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  • In a fantasy world where women are considered to be the ruling gender and men are not, unlike the opposite that occurs in the overwhelming majority of civilizations in the real world, it raises some problems. Most writers do not have experience living in a civilization where women are the ruling class, and, as Most Writers Are Male, they can often be a little less mindful of what about female behaviour is naturally female and what is a sexist distortion. And if they're writing a Sexy Matriarchy for personal gratification purposes, they aren't going to really care. This is all very well and good, but it can cause Selective Squick for viewers who are seeking examples of genuinely assertive female characters in a believable speculative fiction setting. That's when you get a Matriarchy In Name Only - a world where, despite women technically being in charge, the society contains very strong elements of a patriarchy. Maybe the men are supposedly treated as sex objects, but women dress in sexy clothes to impress their male slaves. Maybe the women rule by staying at home, and the men go out to actually influence the plot. Or maybe the main arbiters of power are women, but they all bow to a male demon that mind-controls their entire race. Whatever it is, it's clear that this world reflects our beliefs about gender. For those not used to this kind of analysis, it could be worth asking some of the following questions to a prospective "matriarchy": 1. * Ignoring ceremonial titles, who gets their ideas realized in this society? 2. * In practice, which gender has the most to choose from in terms of lifestyle? 3. * Following that, who is representing the culture to the outside world as well as to the audience? 4. * Is it possible to see the Male Gaze in how the society is depicted? 5. * How do male and female characters actually value the genders and things associated with them? A subtrope of Matriarchy. Can overlap with, or be the cause of, Sexy Matriarchy and Sexist Matriarchy. May also occur in Enlightened Matriarchies. Also includes societies that are supposed to be gender-equal, but show signs of still being skewed towards men. This can be done as a serious satirical point, and is not automatically sexist. Can be a subtrope of the Rule-Abiding Rebel, if the author/publisher promotes the work as progressive/radical/controversial, but at heart, it's pretty conservative. Compare Faux Action Girl. Examples:
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