Q. What is meant by ‘patriarchy’ in the context of feminine jurisprudence?
The ideological struggle against patriarchy marks out the objective, arguments and methodology of feminist jurisprudence. Patriarchy is the social structure characterized by male domination, having an ideology which seeks to justify this arrangement and a legal theory which interprets the law from a standpoint characterized by a belief, explicit or implicit, in fundamental inequalities. It involves, essentially, the systematic subordination of women to men. The required answer should seek to define appropriate concepts and explain the reasons for the feminist movement’s hostility to much contemporary jurisprudence. The following skeleton plan is used:
Introduction – definition of patriarchy – male dominance
taken for granted – the negative aspects of patriarchy –
patriarchy reflected in the literature of libertarianism –
gendered patterns of legal language – conclusion, necessity
to challenge patriarchy in a variety of ways.