Patriarchy Is Not About Men—It’s About Power Without Righteousness

We often talk about patriarchy as a system that oppresses women and favors men. While this traditional understanding holds a large part of the truth, it is limited. The real problem runs much deeper—and unless we understand its root, we will keep fighting symptoms instead of the disease.

Let’s take a journey to redefine patriarchy—not just through the lens of gender, but through the lens of justice and righteousness—and their absence.

🔹 Phase 1: Traditional Understanding of Patriarchy

Patriarchy has long been understood as a social structure in which men dominate—economically, politically, religiously, and socially. This is absolutely true.

This view sees patriarchy as:

A system where men inherit power, and women are reduced to submissive caregivers.

A culture that leads to female infanticide, lack of education, bride burning, dowry harassment, and the suppression of women’s voices.

A world where gender roles are rigid, and women are often denied autonomy.

Feminist movements arose to challenge these inequalities, seeking justice, equality, and rights for women. These movements brought light to many hidden sufferings of women and deserve recognition.

But this perspective does not offer a holistic view.

It overlooks something more dangerous—a mindset that can make any human being cruel.

🔹 Phase 2: Patriarchy as a Mindset

Patriarchy is about power—unjust, unrighteous, and misused power for control and ego.

Examples from daily life make this clear:

•Women in India have been burned, pressured for dowry, forced to work as laborers, and subjected to mental and physical torture. But in many of these cases, are mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law not also involved?

•Child labor, where the innocent are crushed by the system, is patriarchy too.

•The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, religious persecution, and political indifference are also forms of patriarchal oppression.

• A woman misusing dowry laws to punish her husband and in-laws falsely is also patriarchal—though such cases may be fewer.

In all of these, gender does not define patriarchy—abuse of power does.

This mindset goes beyond the home and beyond gender—it infects institutions.

•When policemen exploit their authority to dominate the innocent, it’s patriarchy.

•When Emergency was imposed on India, that was patriarchy.

•What happened to Shriman Master Sadanand Ji is also a case of patriarchal suppression.

In every field—education, politics, religion, marriage, law, and family—

when power is used without righteousness, it becomes patriarchal.

That’s why patriarchy is not just a gender issue.

It is a crisis of justice and morality.

🔹 What Is the Real Solution? Righteousness Over Domination

The real fight is not between men and women, but between:

Justice and manipulation.

We must ask every human being to abandon patriarchal thinking—thinking driven by ego and a hunger for control.

Because this mindset:

•Travels from homes to institutions. 

•Infects children through adults. 

•Becomes normalized in law, religion, and culture. 

Until we restore righteousness to power, there will be no peace.

🔹 Final Message: A Comprehensive Definition of Patriarchy. 

Patriarchy is power without righteousness.

Whoever misuses their position to suppress the innocent is acting with a patriarchal mindset—regardless of gender.

In India what women have suffered for a long time, and continue to suffer even today, is because they lack power, while those who hold power often abuse them.

Therefore, we must help people internalize justice and righteousness.

Only then can we truly eradicate crime and cruelty against every human being.

Let us walk the path of justice and righteousness—together.