Is civilization inherently masculine?

Question

The aspects of civilization such as land ownership, competitiveness, social hierarchy, and specialization of labor are all qualities that men either invented or recognized...

Would civilization have turned out the same way if women had founded it, or would women be unable to found it at all?

Answer 1

There's a theory that society was centered around women before men took over, due to their greater physical prowess.  She Marvin Harris, "Cows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches."

Answer 2

This culture is. Prior to the Roman patriarchal system descending over Europe it was a lot more egalitarian.  The Celts were a pretty powerful  culture, they had no dowry, and inheritance was matrilineal.

The earlier civilizations in Turkey (very early Indo Europeans) only seem to have goddess figurines at first, about the time that agriculture was discovered, and commonly thought to have been matriarchal. So I don't think a less masculine society would have lead to stagnation, one seem quite capable of initiating the Neolithic revolution.

They only place more feminine cultures fall down is that they don't expand aggressively, this generally means that sooner or later a patriarchy will start stomping on it.

Answer 3

The oldest human shaped figures found are of females known as Venus statues. Get a clue. Men do what they do in order to care for their mothers or the mothers of their children. This is what is natural and if you break that respect then you go against nature and nature bites.

Answer 4

I think the general view is that civilization is masculine, because rules and laws governing it involve logic, and culture is feminine, because everyone listens to mom.  Indeed much of American culture actually comes from "mom."

Why do we brush our teeth?  Why do we go to bed at certain times?

An anthropologist told me, while attending summer school at WSU, that civilization was masculine, but culture, was feminine, because culture is not always defined by rules but by societal norms, and societal norms, come from the household and who really rules a household?

Of course, this does not speak kindly of white women now does it?

If American culture is racist, and a man is what his mom made him......

Makes you wonder about what kind of mothers the men of those lynch mobs all had.

peace out.

Answer 5

I think I just answered this question - worded differently (not as well), but still the same.

Answer 6

HI Noname.. What is "nuturing path"? R U sure o' quoting ?

Any way.. SUPPOSE that men R the dominant 4 all times.. then what makes a "good" ruler ?! Care-full inspection, will show U that women fingerprints allover. A man can can rule the world with a stick and carrot.but he will be ruled by a woman one way or another . His mother ( feel of love or guilt), his wife , children , etc.. HE may rule , after a life time struggle, but she can put him down in a split o' 2ND. N.Y. X Governor is an Example, Mr.Clinton is another.Need more? when she launches her rocket , U 'd reach the moon or explode in space.

Answer 7

As AlanKathe has pointed out, several of us have answered this  in an earlier Question by the same poster. See my response there.

I do find it curious that constellation has used her response to claim that men did indeed invent civilisation, but that men did it all for women.

Answer 8

Because men are stronger and women have to give birth to children in primitive times the men dominated, and did all the hunting, fighting, and exploring while the women took a back seat and took care of the kids.  So for this reason I doubt women would have ever founded it in the first place, but times are changing and before long women may yet have a civilization of their own based off of mans civilization.

Answer 9

I think it would be very different if women had founded as much or more of the basic social structures of society. I firmly believe that on a general level, women perceive and act on things in an incredibly different level from men. Biological and Psychological aspects play a HUGE part, like the fight vs. flight mechanism, maternal vs. paternal instincts, etc.

For example, when there's a problem, the first biological response for a male is to fix the problem. For the female, it is to run from, or negotiate or overanalyze the problem.

Each has its pros and cons and I hope no one harbors bad feelings for the question asked or the response given- there's so much ground to be covered with a question like this, but it is a good one.