The Inevitability of Patriarchy

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Title The Inevitability of Patriarchy
Author Steven Goldberg
Country United States of America
Language English
Genre(s) Non-fiction (Sociology)
Publisher William Morrow and Company
Released 1973
Media type Print (Hardback)
Pages 256
ISBN 978-0-6880-0175-9
Followed by Why Men Rule

The Inevitability of Patriarchy is a book by Steven Goldberg, published by William Morrow and Company in 1973. The hypothesis proposed by Goldberg is that social institutions, like patriarchy, that are characterised by male dominance could be explained by the biological differences between men and women. Thus, male dominance is quite possibly inevitable.

Biological research has, in fact, since provided more and more evidence of differences in brain and behaviour between men and women (see main entry Sexual dimorphism in humans). The existence of these differences and their affects on behaviour are clear enough. However, they are not yet sufficiently understood to provide a complete causal chain from biology to male dominance; but nor are they sufficiently well understood to rule out such a chain. Goldberg knows his theory is still unproven. However unpopular this explanation may be, though, Goldberg points out it is just the simplest explanation of the facts available to human knowledge, at this point in history. His word for this is that the explanation is technically "parsimonious".

The Inevitability of Patriarchy was Goldberg's first book on this subject. His second book, Why Men Rule (1993) provides a stronger argument. Given the major advances in biology during the twenty years between the books, Why Men Rule presents exactly the same theory, but with more evidence.

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