Breathe
By Mariana Gabarrot, Academic of the School of Humanities and Education and advisor to the Center for the Recognition of Human Dignity of the Tec de Monterrey. Author of the book ABC del Género, nociones mínimas para discutir el tema (Lumen, 2022).
Feminists have been using the concept of patriarchy for years. However, the term is relatively new for those who had never heard of these issues before #MeToo and the massive marches of 8M where the collective fury denounces the murder and mass disappearance of women (it is known that in Mexico we are murdered at least 11 a day).
The result is, on the one hand, a perplexed, frightened public that does not understand and therefore tends to reject. On the other hand, many feminists are in trouble when they ask us to explain patriarchy in a casual conversation (for example, after dinner) and we look in vain for a way to summarize more than 50 years of intellectual reflection of the movement.
This is my humble attempt to break down the term in a simple way, in order to contribute to the dialogue and reduce the anguish:
