Most societies have a patriarchal system, which governs relations between men and women. Patriarchy, which literally means the rule of the men, is a social system where men play the dominant role. It also means that men are seen as the heads of households. In patriarchal societies millions of women are forced to deal with different forms of discrimination and abuses at their work places and in their homes. Women take a subordinate or second-class role. This is usually reinforced through the following systems:
1. The economic system
Men are regarded as breadwinners and therefore paid more than women. Women perform unpaid labour such as rearing children. With regards to property and inheritance rights, women are often discriminated against.
2. Culture and social norms and religious
Culture is everything in society which is socially rather than biologically transmitted. For example, gender roles and certain types of behavior are learned and allocated to men and women - boys don't cry, men must protect 'their' girls and women, men are the heads of households and so forth. Girls must be kind and nurturing, not aggressive or too pushy. Gender refers to the social system, which governs the relations between men and women. It is the different roles that