The Illusion of Progress: Patriarchy Evolved, Men Did Not

Not so long back in 1990, Sylvia Walby, in her book ‘Theorizing Politics’ had defined patriarchy as a “system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women.” Thankfully (or not), patriarchy does not need to be defined in 2025. Now it has evolved, subtly and strategically,  into a system of quiet endurance. It has woven itself so deeply into the fabric of everyday life that it has become indistinguishable from “normal.” 

Illustration by The Geostrata

To the privileged status quo, it has become so invisible that they consider patriarchy a relic of the past. Although their negligence is a matter of concern, this out-of-touch perspective is also a source of great laughter. Being wrapped in a blanket of privileges does make one delusional. We can share a laugh at their detachment from reality, but that is a conscious choice men have continued to make for a long time.

To address the reality is to address inequality and take accountability. And accountability and men in the same sentence is usually not a conventional rule.

Particularly, in the Indian context, where societal design presents multiple layers of privileges: gender, caste, class, and marriage to protect men from the harsh truth. 

THE F WORD

In India, it is mostly much more socially accepted to be a fanatic than to be a feminist. One might wonder why the hate for even the word ‘feminism’?

When rape cases make the headlines everyday, so normal and usual that people skip through the pages as if it were nothing, when gender based violence, female foeticide, neglect of the girl child, among other unspeakable and horrifying crimes against women are still very much in existence, why the hate for feminism? Because men of the country are not immune to accountability.

Mention feminism to the semi-evolved creature and he shall counter argument ‘pseudo-feminism’ faster than you can blink your eye.

Accountability shifted, mission successfully accomplished, and now they can get back to being the so-called ‘raja betas,’ their most natural habitat and protective comfort zone.

As much as their fragile ego and inability to comprehend basic information is annoying and cringeworthy, it also has a deeper and darker side. This subconsciously promotes insensitivity and tolerance towards the discrimination against women and discredits their cries for justice and equality. 

This careful and cunning construction against feminists and feminism is a calculated move. Children grow up thinking the ‘F’ word is unnecessary, too radical, and almost punishable. If only society had the same animosity for perpetrators of such crimes.

THE LONE FLOWER DEFENCE

Explain this to an ignorant and problematic Indian man and he shall hit you with the classic: “but we had a woman Prime Minister, but my wife is ‘allowed’ to work, but I don’t beat my wife, but..” and an endless loop of baseless arguments tied with useless examples.

Indira Gandhi remains their enduring talisman of counterarguments against patriarchy. “If patriarchy were real, she wouldn’t have been PM,” they claim. And yet, no woman has followed her to the office in over five decades.

Showcasing a single flowering tree in a barren land and calling it a forest is the usual coping mechanism for Indian men. What they have failed to consider is that conflating visibility with power and power with equality is a shallow and deeply a disturbing move.

This presents an unreal narrative that women are liberated from the shackles of patriarchy when they are financially independent, or in positions of authority and power. To a seemingly large extent it is very much factual and obvious, but in the broader context it is much more complex. Women diplomats and ministers might rise above the general quo by gaining financial autonomy and authority.

However, they can not escape the misery of being a woman. Nevertheless, when we talk about powerful women we leave out something more important. Do these selected few women in power represent us all? No.

Feminist attention to those already privileged by the virtues of their caste or background overshadows the struggles of Dalit women, doubly oppressed by both Savarna patriarchy, and men of their own caste, implying layers of oppression that go way beyond just patriarchy, rather tracing other unfortunate factors that deepen discrimination against women.

The modern avatar of patriarchy is one that thrives in silence, in symbols, and in selective success stories. The entire rhetoric of choice is a lie that men, powerful people, and their self-benefitting systems continue to feed us women. Today, we are not confronting patriarchy in retreat but rather in mutation. 

Feminists like Uma Chakravarti have long argued that patriarchy in India operates through deeply embedded cultural codes; a social system designed to preserve dominance through structure, ritual, and myth.

When we view feminism as pasśe, and patriarchy as a resolved artefact of the past, we ignore the very grammar of oppression. The true way forward is to listen not to just the loudest voices in the room, but to those long denied entry. 

While, this is not a competition for who is more oppressed than whom, it is rather a united call to rise and see through the invisibility cloak of patriarchy. Because until patriarchy is no longer palatable in its performative allyship, it will continue to persist. Not as a failing of individual men, but as the triumph of a system too cleverly disguised to name.

---

BY PREETU MAHARSHI

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com