The Patriarchy Kept Men Responsible – Opinion

When “Smashing the System” Backfired

We’re told patriarchy was pure oppression — men ruling, women suffering. Smash it, and liberation follows. But here’s the twist: patriarchy and responsibility were always linked. Patriarchy wasn’t only about power. It was also about duty.

In most of nature, males don’t stick around. They fight, mate, and move on. The female carries the burden of raising the young. Humans did something different. We built patriarchy — a system that forced men to stay, provide, and protect.

Destroying that system didn’t just free women. It also freed men — from responsibility.

Patriarchy as Obligation

Patriarchy is painted as privilege. Yet it imposed a heavy contract on men:

• Work to support your family.
• Protect them in times of danger.
• Sacrifice personal freedom for collective survival.

It overrode nature. It compelled men to be fathers, not just biological donors. And it rewarded them with respect, pride, and dignity if they fulfilled that role.

That was the essence of patriarchy responsibility — a man’s worth was tied to whether he stood by his family.

Individualism as “Liberation”

Fast-forward to today. The slogans have flipped. We’re told freedom means self-expression above all. No roles, no obligations, no contracts.

Sounds liberating. In practice? It’s atomisation. Men “liberated” from patriarchy can simply walk away — from marriage, from children, from duty. Women pick up the slack. Children grow up in fractured households. And society politely calls this progress.

We haven’t transcended nature. We’ve slid back into it. The burden once again falls mainly on women — only now without the dignity of shared obligation.

The Hidden Cost of Smashing Patriarchy

Destroying patriarchy didn’t just loosen old hierarchies. It erased old obligations. The contract between men and their families dissolved. What was once shameful — desertion, abandonment, refusal to provide — is now treated as a lifestyle choice.

And the new system? It doesn’t really replace those lost obligations. It outsources them: to the state, to welfare programs, to NGOs. The duties of the father become line items in a budget. Responsibility turns bureaucratic.

Conclusion – The Ironic Punchline

Patriarchy wasn’t perfect. It constrained women. But it also constrained men. It made them responsible for their families in a way nature never required.

Tear it down, and you don’t just liberate women. You liberate men — to leave.

The result? A society where men are freer than ever… not to lead, but to escape.

Maybe patriarchy didn’t just oppress women. Maybe patriarchy responsibility kept men honest — and women freer than we realise.

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FAQ: Patriarchy and Responsibility

What did patriarchy demand from men?
It bound men to provide, protect, and raise families — not just enjoy privilege.

Isn’t patriarchy mainly about oppressing women?
Yes, it imposed limits. But it also imposed obligations on men, which modern individualism has eroded.

How does this connect to today’s society?
Breaking patriarchy freed men from duty as much as it freed women from restriction. The result: more abandonment, less accountability.

What’s the link with nature?
In nature, most males don’t raise their young. Patriarchy forced human men to do what instinct alone wouldn’t — stay and provide.

So is patriarchy “good”?
Not in a simple sense. But the irony is clear: by smashing it, we may have weakened the very system that kept men bound to their families.

For the activist and academic framing of patriarchy as a universal system of male dominance, see our explainer: Patriarchy – The System That Blames Men for Everything.