Gynocracy

<h3 >Etymology</h3>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neologism" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:Neologism" >Neologism</a>, no etymology, but constructed from Greek gune, -aikos (<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%B3%CF%85%CE%BD%CE%AE" title="γυνή" >γυνή</a>, -αικος) 'woman' and kratos (<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%BA%CF%81%CE%AC%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%82" title="κράτος" >κράτος</a>) 'power'. Disambiguates usage of <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/matriarchy" title="matriarchy" >matriarchy</a>: gynecocracy refers to societies ruled by women, distinct from <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/matrilineal" title="matrilineal" >matrilineal</a> <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bequeath" title="bequeath" >bequeathing</a> of property and <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/matrilocal" title="matrilocal" >matrilocal</a> residence of brides.

Etymologically, according to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OED" title="OED" class="mw-redirect" >OED</a>, the word matriarchy is first attested in 1885, building on an earlier matriarch, formed in analogy to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarch" title="Patriarch" >patriarch</a>, already in use in the early 17th century. By contrast, <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gynecocracy" class="extiw" title="wikt:gynecocracy" >gynæcocracy</a>, meaning 'rule of women', has been in use since the 17th century, building on the Greek word γυναικοκρατία found in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle" title="Aristotle" >Aristotle</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutarch" title="Plutarch" >Plutarch</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-22" >[23]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-23" >[24]</a>

<h3 >Gynecocracy, gynaecocracy, gynocracy, gyneocracy, and gynarchy</h3>

Gynecocracy, gynaecocracy, gynocracy, gyneocracy, and gynarchy generally mean 'government by women over women and men'.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-29" >[30]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-30" >[31]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-31" >[32]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-32" >[33]</a> All of these words are synonyms in their most important definitions. While these words all share that principal meaning, they differ a little in their additional meanings, so that gynecocracy also means 'women's social supremacy',<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-33" >[34]</a> gynaecocracy also means 'government by one woman', 'female dominance', and, derogatorily, 'petticoat government',<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-34" >[35]</a> and gynocracy also means 'women as the ruling class'.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-35" >[36]</a> Gyneocracy is rarely used in modern times.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-36" >[37]</a> None of these definitions are limited to mothers.

Some matriarchies have been described by historian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Diener" title="Bertha Diener" >Helen Diner</a> as "a strong gynocracy"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-MothersAmazons-1965-p137-37" >[38]</a> and "women monopolizing government"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-38" >[39]</a> and she described matriarchal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons" title="Amazons" >Amazons</a> as "an extreme, feminist wing"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-39" >[40]</a> of humanity and that North African women "ruled the country politically,"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-MothersAmazons-1965-p137-37" >[38]</a> and, according to Margot Adler, Helen Diner "envision[ed] a dominance matriarchy".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-40" >[41]</a>

<h3 >Gynocentrism</h3>

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynocentrism" title="Gynocentrism" >Gynocentrism</a> (simplified by using the reduced prefix gyno- for gynæco-) is the 'dominant or exclusive focus on women', is opposed to<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androcentrism" title="Androcentrism" >androcentrism</a>, and "invert[s] ... the privilege of the ... [male/female] binary ... [some feminists] arguing for 'the superiority of values embodied in traditionally female experience'".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-41" >[42]</a>

<h3 >Matrifocality and matricentrism</h3>

Due to a lack of a clear and consistent definition of the word matriarchy, several anthropologists have begun to use the term matrifocality. The terms matrifocal and matricentric, 'having a mother as head of the family or household', were first used in the mid 20th century.

Matrifocal societies are those in which women, especially mothers, occupy a central position. The term does not necessarily imply domination by women or mothers.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-smith-42" >[43]</a> Anthropologist R. L. Smith (2002) refers to matrifocality as the kinship structure of a social system where the mothers assume structural prominence.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-smith-42" >[43]</a> The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nair" title="Nair" >Nair</a> community in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala" title="Kerala" >Kerala</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunt_(community)" title="Bunt (community)" >Bunt</a> community in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulunadu" title="Tulunadu" class="mw-redirect" >Tulunadu</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_India" title="South India" >South India</a> are prime examples of matrifocality. This can be attributed to the fact that if males were largely warriors by profession, a community was bound to lose male members at youth, leading to a situation where the females assumed the role of running the family.

<h3 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matriarchy&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Matristic" >edit</a>]Matristic</h3>

Feminist scholars and archeologists such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marija_Gimbutas" title="Marija Gimbutas" >Marija Gimbutas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerda_Lerner" title="Gerda Lerner" >Gerda Lerner</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riane_Eisler" title="Riane Eisler" >Riane Eisler</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-43" >[44]</a> describe their notion of a "woman-centered" society surrounding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Goddess" title="Mother Goddess" class="mw-redirect" >Mother Goddess</a> worship throughout prehistory (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic" title="Paleolithic" >Paleolithic</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_Europe" title="Neolithic Europe" >Neolithic Europe</a>) and ancient civilizations, by using the term matristic rather than matriarchal.

<h3 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matriarchy&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Matrilineality" >edit</a>]Matrilineality</h3>

<div class="rellink" >Further information: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_matrilineal_or_matrilocal_societies" title="List of matrilineal or matrilocal societies" >List of matrilineal or matrilocal societies</a></div>

Matrilineality is sometimes confused with historical matriarchy.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy#cite_note-InvisibleSex-pp251-255-255-44" >[45]</a>

<h3 >[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matriarchy&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Matrilocality" >edit</a>]Matrilocality</h3>

Societies in which a couple resides close to the bride's family rather than the bridegroom's family are termed "matrilocal" by anthropologists.