Gender Disparities in Leadership Roles and Society

What is 'the patriarchy' and does it still exist in the UK today?

The Barbie movie’s portrayal of the patriarchy and a world in which men have all the positions of power has triggered debate on social media around whether the UK is a patriarchal society.

According to Barbie's friend Ken, patriarchy is when “men on horses run everything”. According to history, Marxist scholars first described the patriarchy as a system that favoured men over women and characterised it as integral part of the capitalist system.

Years later, in the 1970s, it became a focal point for feminist activists who campaigned for equal rights and representation for women. In Britain today, though, when many of the laws that gave more power to men have been overturned, is there still a system in place that gives men more power than women? Is the word useful?

We explain the history of the phrase and fact-check the ways in which people across the debate measure gender equality.

Contributors: Charlotte Proudman, campaigner and barrister specialising in gender based violence cases Mike Bell, creator of the website Equi-law which researches disadvantages experienced by men and boys Lucy Delap, Professor of Modern British and Gender History at the University of Cambridge Kelly Beaver, CEO for UK & Ireland at Ipsos