Beyond patriarchy

Dimitri Andronicos
Translation Tony Dickinson

Criticism of patriarchy is a recurring social issue, along with ecology and post-colonialism. The need to keep it on the agenda stems in part from a gradual and paradoxical reduction in its scope. As it wears out, it reflects above all a misunderstanding of the very meaning of this critical approach. It is undeniably a political, social and professional struggle in favour of women. But patriarchy does not diminish in the face of social progress, as Carol Gilligan reminds us, following on from her seminal publication, Another Voice, published in 1981 (a work that initiated the Care ethic movement). In Why does Patriarchy persist? (published in 2018, jointly with Naomi Snider), she takes up the observation that, despite the progress made, patriarchy persists. In it, she offers an understanding of patriarchy that is not limited to a certain idea of traditional society in which the places of men and women are clearly defined. Her critique goes further than the simple reconsideration of an ancestral model. More fundamentally, it places patriarchy within a system of domination that makes all our relationships problematic, whether in relationships, moral or professional life, or even in friendship. Why is this? Because we are being asked to sacrifice our most meaningful relationships, and this is necessary in order to grow and become a free person.
We will begin by outlining the main thrust of this critique, and then go on to understand its opportunities in the Reformed ecclesial context.
The logic of sacrifice
In this implacable logic, every person reaches maturity as an autonomous subject once he or she can claim not to be dependent on anyone, particularly emotionally. Faced with this latent demand which demands detachment and objectification of relationships, seen as dangerous to the integrity of the individual, men would perform better. At least, they would be better empowered by education for their ability to break ties in the name of self-fulfilment. By the very fact that they go beyond emotional relationships, men would demonstrate an ethos that is more universal, more appropriate, and a surpassing of self that would make them more fulfilled individuals. This model, originating in post-war developmental psychology which sees this ability as a sign of moral superiority, Gilligan challenges by highlighting a concrete, different, singular voice: the voice of Care, which is borne by women.
The voice of the other
This voice, which focuses on relationships and their quality in order to enter the depth of moral dilemmas under the aegis of care, offers a possible way out of the rigidity of patriarchal relations of power and domination. Gilligan and Snider draw on John Bowlby’s theories of childhood attachment and on individual narrative surveys to describe the importance of the ties that form us and the psychological wounds caused by break-ups. Every time we sacrifice them, whether for a career, or to be freer and more detached, we objectify ourselves and fantasise that we are more whole. Patriarchy is the denial of affects, and therefore of bonds in all their significance. Children must learn as quickly as possible to do without their mothers, to harden themselves and prepare for a social life based on self-control and distance. Adolescents will have to do without the friends who hold them back (and who aren’t as ambitious as they are) or abandon a relationship deemed too close, and therefore immature. We can project into infinity the situations in which renunciation is demanded…
Heightened awareness
In most of the accounts collected by our authors, the people interviewed are often unsure of why they ended up abandoning relationships that mattered to them. That this happens so naturally, and without any apparent (though actually real) suffering, is the reason for the persistence of patriarchy. For Gilligan and Snider, it is now a question of having a keener awareness of this tendency in order to overcome it and preserve relationships. So it’s not just a question of gender, but of the opportunity for everyone to live differently, beyond the rigidity of patriarchy, to flourish in the care of others.
Beyond patriarchy… the Church?
Carol Gilligan’s work gives us the opportunity to listen to these different voices, to distance ourselves from ready-made solutions and the auto-pilot, particularly in the field of moral life. In the fight for recognition and equality between men and women, there is additionally the approach that sees women’s voices as a way of asking deeper questions about our moral choices, but above all about our lives. The choice of concern, complexity and story is transforming society. For some years now, this repositioning has been helping to transform places that were once the preserve of patriarchy, authoritarian and deaf before the diversity and depth of human needs. The Church, with its hospitals and social services, is an example of this evolution. In Reformed circles, the profession of pastor has become largely feminised, and theological training classes are seeing more and more women flock to become the majority; in French-speaking Switzerland, the result is striking. This testifies to the social relevance of the Church, now centred on relationships, caring and listening. At the same time, the pastoral figure (any ministerial figure), because of its feminisation, is gaining a new and unprecedented authority that is moving away from a patriarchal logic. The foundations of authority have changed, giving way to an authority of assumed weakness, rich in a critique of structures of domination and exclusion. This is the exact opposite of a retreat in the role of the Church, unshackled from its former theological-political power.
Authority will no longer be based on its ability to assert definitive truths, or on its desire to regulate people’s behaviour. It moves forward by assuming the fragility of relationships, without guarantees or certainties, while recalling the unfailing love of God in his son for his creation. From this theological perspective, sacrifice created a bond that could (and should) never be undone.

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