Why were matriarchical civilisations overthrown?

Question

Early human civilisations tended to be matriarchies with females ruling the roost but nowadays democracies appear to be in the ascendancy.

I find myself wondering ... why was women-rule overthrown? Was there a reason for this? Did people finally realise that matriarchy was insufferable?

Answer 1

Matriarchal societies might exist in the past, but they're long gone now. Matriarchal doesn't last for a very long time because they lack the strength and the will-power that is necessary in order to survive. This further proves that matriarchal society is unsuitable and inadequate for the human race.

Answer 2

They were never overthrown because there never was such a thing as a matriarchal civilisation!

If you look at research, there is one chain of thought that says matriarchy existed, but that all comes from one paper, which is widly discredited. If you want to know how women's situation arose, then read "The Second s*x" by Simone de Beauvoir, which explains that women have been reliant on men since the dawn of time because they were confined to the home during childbirth and breastfeeding. Because of this, men became more powerful within the family situation, so chose to define their functions as more important. Women's functions were seen as less important, so women were seen as less important and only able to perform the functions which were less important. The myth self-perpetuated and still does within today's society.

Nothing overthrew matriarchy, patriarchy was just always the norm.

Reply to Louise C's comment below: Women were confined to the home during childbirth! Have you tried giving birth while gathering crops? And medical care was not what it was, so women were stuck indoors for a lot longer on the whole. In addition, they couldn't stray as far from the home as men because they had to look after the children. Also, although this is nothing to do with matriarchy, I do not think work will improve my situation, if fact as long as getting on in the work place includes having to act "masculine", I think working will not improve the situation for women or men. I believe that my situation will only be improved when traditionally female functions are recognised as being just as valuable as traditionally male functions. If you had read what I put carefully, you would see that I explained how women's functions are devalued. The solution is to bust this myth.

Answer 3

Hi celtish long time no see. anyways wanted to say Hi looks like I recognize only you. bye and love me mafia

Answer 4

We just became technology cults rather than fertility cults.

Answer 5

because they were useless!

Answer 6

The key, Celtish, is that I forget myself what happened to all the matriarchal structures (It's been awhile) but nonetheless, it's critical that the Patriarchy remain strong.

This week, I'll be preparing a splendid Brisket, and I'm not trying to display arrogance, but I consider my Brisket about as good as I've tasted.  I'll make chips.  We just need paper cups, because I'm tired of hauling all the utensils every week, someone needs to help me with this stuff.  Also, I'd like to have a guest speaker (at the discretion of the secret order, obviously) Sir Richard Branson will come and speak about his ideas about finally having commercially available vehicle (though ridiculously expensive) for genuine exploration beyond the Earth's atmosphere, as I understand it, it'll cost on the order of 100,000 GBP.  But hopefully he'll supply some ideas with respect to oppression of modern Misandrists.

Oh, lastly, we'll need horseradish, that's the one thing I forgot last week, but we're gonna need it for my Brisket.

See you Friday.

Answer 7

Christianity. Plain and simple.

The Roman emperor saw Christianity was spreading, and since women were threatening it because they could bear children, the church decided to demonize them. Thus, the goddess of fertility was fashioned into Satan.

Read the Da Vinci Code. It explains why matriarchal societies were overthrown. All of the facts you read are true...except the Mary Magdalene one is a theory.

EDIT: What the h**l are you talking about crouching doggie? You don't answer much. I saw you thumbed my answer down, but you're still completely wrong. It was Christianity. Do the goddam research.

EDIT2: If we had stayed matriarchal, we never would have gone into dumbass wars, because most men seem to believe that every problem has to be solved with fists. Women didn't win the vote with fists. Take that to your grave.

Answer 8

Matriarchy is a myth.

There has never been a matriarchal civilization.

Answer 9

Early societies were matriarchal because life revolved around the harvest seasons.  Women, associated with fertility and nature, were the primary goddesses and females were deemed important to society- they gave birth, after all.

Civilizations grew in population, and soon the male war gods were the leaders.  War became the way to live- more productive and necessary than farming.  Men, associated with aggression and violent passion, became the incarnations of the gods.

Answer 10

for the same reason that we are working to eliminate the patriarchy.  

Answer 11

There were no early matriarchal civilisations.  These are pure fantasy, mostly thought up by 19th century anthropologists with little or no evidence to go on.  No modern historians take the idea seriously.  male domination has been the norm in every civilisation known to have ever existed.  It is the norm in hunter-gatherer societies, in agricultural societies, in city civilisations, everywhere.  The closest we have ever come to equality between the sexes is present-day western civilisation, and even here you see a conspicuous lack of females in positions of authority.

The myth that christanity was somehow hostile to women dies hard (see one of the comments above), but in fact christianity was extremely popular with women who were eager converts in the early centuries, and often responsible for persuading their husbands to convert.  The King of the Franks was converted due to the persuasions of his Christian wife for instance, as was the King of Kent in England.

Nor has women being 'confined to the home' have anything to do with their subordinate role (as a comment above claims).  Far from being 'confined to the home' women in early societies were out there gathering food, labouring in the fields etc, as you will still see them doing in peasant societies today.  This does not, however, give them equal status with men.  When will women get it into their heads that doing more and more work is NOT going to give them equality?