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Why Does Patriarchy Persist?

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The election of a patriarchal leader despite decades of activism raises urgent questions about the resilience of patriarchy. Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider present a compelling argument that patriarchy persists not only due to social advantages but because it fulfills a deep psychological function. It demands sacrificing love to maintain hierarchy, acting as a defence against vulnerability and loss. Through this lens, the book uncovers hidden psychological drivers of political and social dynamics that sustain patriarchy.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Ideal for readers interested in philosophy, psychology, gender studies, social activism, and political theory, particularly those seeking to understand the psychological underpinnings of persistent social inequalities.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The election of an unabashedly patriarchal man as US President was a shock for many—despite decades of activism on gender inequalities and equal rights, how could it come to this? What is it about patriarchy that seems to make it so resilient and resistant to change? Undoubtedly it endures in part because some people benefit from the unequal advantages it confers. But is that enough to explain its stubborn persistence?

In this highly original and persuasively argued book, Carol Gilligan and Naomi Snider put forward a different view: they argue that patriarchy persists because it serves a psychological function. By requiring us to sacrifice love for the sake of hierarchy, patriarchy protects us from the vulnerability of loving and becomes a defence against loss. Uncovering the powerful psychological mechanisms that underpin patriarchy, the authors show how forces beyond our awareness may be driving a politics that otherwise seems inexplicable.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"Taking on the long brewing battle between true democracy and the pervasive 'ghost' of patriarchy, this compact book exists in a category of its own. The voices of its authors are accessible, incisive and engaging – the perfect book to launch almost any conversation about our current messy psycho-political times." – Jill Gentile, author, Feminine Law: Freud, Free Speech, and the Voice of Desire "An original and powerful analysis of patriarchy; there is a freshness and vitality to the authors’ approach. Why Does Patriarchy Persist? should be compulsory reading in every discipline from law to literature, for it offers a framework in which numerous dilemmas, both practical and psychological, might be resolved." – Terri Apter, Newnham College, Cambridge

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509529131

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 September 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 137.0mm

Height: 213.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 120

About the Author

Carol Gilligan is Professor of Humanities and Applied Psychology at New York University and the author of In a Different Voice, one of the most influential feminist books of all time. 

Naomi Snider is a Research Fellow at New York University.

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    Winner of the 2025 Kyoto Prize for Arts and Philosophy Carol Gilligan's landmark book In a Different Voice – the "little book that started a revolution" – brought women's voices to the fore in work on the self and moral development, enabling women to be heard in their own right, and with their own integrity, for the first time. Forty...
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