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French word of the Day: Le patriarcat

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French word of the Day: Le patriarcat

If you need something to blame the state of the world upon, this is often the culprit.

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Why do I need to know le patriarcat?

Whether you're aware of it or not it probably has a huge impact on your life, from how much you earn to the clothes you dress your children in.

What does it mean?

It means the patriarchy! So now you're ready to get involved in discussions on gender politics in French.

So for example if you want something to blame for the gender pay gap, here's what you can pin it on.

Pourquoi les femmes françaises gagnent-elles en moyenne 11 pour cent de moins que les hommes? C'est le patriarcat. - Why do women in France earn on average 11 percent less than men? It's the patriarchy. 

C'est ainsi que le patriarcat régit la socialisation des garçons et des hommes - This is how the patriarchy socialises its boys and men.

Or as in this example below by French writer Olivia Sorrel Dejerine

 

She tweets: "Are you cold in the office? Guess what, it has nothing to do with winter and everything to do with the patriarchy."

And if you find yourself living in a matriarchal society, that would be la martriarchie in French.

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