‘Patriarchy’ is a Harmful Feminist Fantasy

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Contact: Henry Herrera

Telephone: +1-301-801-0608

‘Patriarchy’ is a Harmful Feminist Fantasy

July 9, 2026 – Scarcely a day passes that UN Women fails to issue a report, speech, or social media post that decries the existence of “patriarchy.” But exactly what is patriarchy, and is it little more than feminist myth-making?

The origins of patriarchy theory can be traced to Kate Millett’s 1970 book, Sexual Politics, which defines patriarchy as “the institution whereby that half of the populace which is female is controlled by that half which is male.” Millett viewed patriarchy as the most fundamental and pervasive power structure, underlying all other social systems, and it quickly became a central tenet of second-wave feminism.

But Millett’s exposition was long on rhetoric and short on evidence. Indeed, a review of government reports and scientific studies reveals that around the world, men are lagging behind women in 12 major areas:

Education: Males face higher illiteracy rates in nearly every country (1).
Health: Men are dying about five years earlier than women (2).
Boy Crisis: In every age group — including 15–17 year-olds (12.2% of boys vs. 6.8% of girls) — more boys than girls are subjected to child labor. (3).
False Allegations: Men are the primary targets of false allegations of abuse (4).
Violence: Males account for roughly 80% of all homicide victims (5).
Shared Parenting After Divorce: A survey in 37 North American and European countries found joint physical custody was awarded in only 5% of cases (6).
Treatment by the Criminal System: Men receive harsher treatment at every step of the criminal-legal process (7).
Services for Victims: Despite men being equally likely to experience partner violence, far fewer services exist for male victims (8).
Homelessness: Men comprise about 76% of the homeless population worldwide (9).
Workplace Fatalities: Men suffer 15 times the number of occupational deaths from accidents, compared to women: Men: 6.2 vs. 0.4 per 100,000 workers (10).
Reproductive Rights: A pregnant woman can choose to carry the baby or have an abortion; the father has few or no legal options (11).
Media Portrayals: Media coverage of men is 69% unfavorable, 12% favorable, and 19% neutral (12).

Feminists often counter by noting that women hold only about one-fourth of national political offices worldwide. However, extensive research documents a persistent ambition gap. In It Takes More Than a Candidate, Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox show that men are twice as likely as women to have “seriously considered” running for office (13).

When women do run, voters generally do not penalize them — and often show a slight preference:

Observational studies in Canada, the UK, Australia, and the US show no vote share penalty for women (14).
A 2022 meta-analysis of 67 survey experiments (worldwide) found that describing a candidate as female vs. male yielded an advantage to women of two percentage points (15).

It’s time to retire the obsession with a non-existent “patriarchy.” This narrative fosters a sense of victimization that harms women’s mental health and distracts from addressing real disadvantages faced by both sexes.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance – DAVIA — unites 234 member organizations from 44 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. DAVIA seeks to ensure that domestic violence and abuse policies are science-based, family-affirming, and gender-inclusive. https://endtodv.org/davia/

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