Patriarchy is the belief that one’s job is determined by gender, oppressing both men and women. It’s not about men versus women; it’s wisdom versus ignorance. If a man continues to be a man, he can only be a predator who hunts women, while women hunt passively in return. Ultimately, no one can find joy while others remain in misery.
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Questioner: Sir, it is often perceived that females are affected by a patriarchal society. But do you think it affects men as well? And what according to you are the problems faced by men due to the patriarchal society?
Acharya Prashant: See, patriarchy is a great bondage. Patriarchy is a state of mind. And what is its state of mind? Please, pay attention! Patriarchy is to believe that your job in life is determined by your gender. Now, patriarchy is oppressive both ways. Men have been told that your purpose, your station, your movement, your activities, your thoughts, your emotions, everything has to be determined by your gender. And women have been told much the same thing. So, it's not men versus women; it's wisdom versus ignorance.
We take feminism as men versus women thing where women are trying to get away from oppression and being victims of men. So, we take men as the victimizers. Well, apparently true. Apparently, obviously, men are the ones who exploit and oppress. But if you go a little deeper into it, as Vedanta encourages you to, you will say, “No!” No, it’s not that men are oppressing women, there is a common enemy and the name of the common enemy is ‘ignorance’. It is because of ignorance that men continue to be men and women continue to be women.
