Tools of the Patriarchy

Tools of the Patriarchy is a column on the tools that establish men’s dominance in society, or, in other words, uphold the patriarchy. Whether or not these tools are used intentionally, they contribute to a world in which women are not equal to men.

Tools of the Patriarchy: How Communication Double Standards Silence Women

PUBLISHED 9/8/2025 by

“Sorry, but—”

I paused as the words flew from my mouth, forming an apology before I could even consider why I felt the need to begin my confrontation with one. A moment earlier, my friend had interrupted me during a heated debate, and I wanted to finish making the point I had been in the middle of.

“No worries, it’s all good,” he said with a smile, continuing with his argument. I sat stunned by how in a matter of seconds, I had been interrupted, then enabled to apologize for trying to address the interruption—all with the end result of my friend getting to speak over me.

These types of interactions happen to women all the time. Compulsive apologies, interruptions, mansplaining and emotional weaponization are all barriers that get in the way of women getting their point across, and being heard.

Communicating is already complicated enough, but it is even more difficult as a woman—so let’s talk about it.

Tools of the Patriarchy: The Money Tool, and the Persistent Wage Gap

PUBLISHED 8/29/2020 by and
Tools of the Patriarchy: The Money Tool

The wage gap has plagued the U.S. since women entered the workforce. And while money, definitely, is not everything—it is infused into the way we live. As long as our society functions in a capitalistic manner, our work can and will be valued with a dollar amount.

This means we must fight until women are earning every last cent as much as men make.

Tools of the Patriarchy: Should Chivalry Be Dead?

PUBLISHED 7/30/2020 by and
Tools of the Patriarchy: Should Chivalry Be Dead?

While accepting a polite gesture should come easily, it is natural that polite actions created off of a basis of gender inequality may make women squirm—it certainly does make us.

“The fact is, chivalry is a standard that is based on sexist ideals—created during a time when women were referred to as damsels in distress, and when men with power were so out of control they needed a clear set of rules to tell them not to rape any woman they saw.”

Tools of the Patriarchy: Diet Culture and How We All Perpetuate the Stigma

PUBLISHED 7/16/2020 by and

Diet culture is a patriarchal tool.

Diet culture forces individuals, notably women, to center their lives around their physical appearance. It additionally promotes an unachievable physical appearance while offering a vast array of products—paradoxically advertising that one can achieve the unachievable.

But having conversations about our bodies in healthy, productive ways—not critical, accusatory ways—is the only way that we can end diet culture once and for all.

Tools of the Patriarchy: The Weaponization of Hair

PUBLISHED 7/1/2020 by and
Tools of the Patriarchy: The the Weaponization of Hair

From abortion to weight loss, the patriarchal tradition of policing women’s bodies is a strong and long lasting one. Telling women what they must or must not do with their hair—whether that be the color, texture, quantity or location of it—is just another way women’s agency over their own bodies is controlled.

Tools of the Patriarchy: The Naming Tool

PUBLISHED 6/17/2020 by and

“Tools of the Patriarchy” is a biweekly column on the tools that establish men’s dominance in society, or, in other words, uphold the patriarchy. Whether or not these tools are used intentionally, they contribute to a world in which women are not equal to men.

The naming tool is a long-standing tradition dictating that after marriage, a woman should give up her birth name and take on her husband’s last name. Children also frequently take their father’s last name, carrying the tradition on into the next generation.