the word refers to a system

it doesn’t refer to all male persons within that system

if you see someone gripe about the patriarchy and your first reaction is “not all men” then you have completely misunderstood what is going on here

that’s like seeing someone gripe about democracy and having a gut reaction of “not all voters”

nobody would do that, because obviously “voter” is just a name we use for a type of person who tends to benefit from democracy. any one person may not directly benefit, depending on how the cards fall, but the system is skewed to be kinder to voters overall.

“man” is pulling double-duty as a name for a type of person who tends to benefit from patriarchy. any one person may not directly benefit, depending on how the cards fall, but the system is skewed to be kinder to men overall.

i mean, hell, you know what the word literally means right? same root as “monarchy” or “hierarchy” — i.e., the people on top are men, and the underlying influences historically come from men. that doesn’t mean every man is at the top.

do you think women should be able to vote? should they be able to function in a democracy just like any other voter?

well there you go then