I struggled with this book. I wanted to like it but often found it repetitive. Despite this, I would still read other works from this author.

Unfortunately ran out of time to finish book, would be happy to give a full review if given an extension. Score given for what I managed to read of the book.

The book outlines different conceptions and framing of patriarchy both from those seeking to justify it and those seeking to challenge it (such as Kate Millett).
Angela Saini has a track record of creating these meticulous exposés of power structures and this book is a strong example of how to do this well.
There are explorations of how women can be oppressed as a group while some women are part of ruling elites.
Take-downs of recent films which promote gender stereotypes are threaded alongside investigations of primate behaviour.
It is a wide-ranging and detailed work.

This extensively researched book combines a wealth of facts and figures with a highly engaging writing style. Saini not only educates but also entertains, occasionally leaving the reader in astonishment. The author explores the fears that some men harbour, highlighting stories from matrilineal cultures that offer intriguing insights.

Beginning in prehistory and spanning to the present day, the book covers a wide range of topics. Saini introduces lesser-known facts, such as the equality Russian women enjoyed in 1917 and the legalization of abortion in 1920. The decline of women's rights in Russia over time is juxtaposed with the American response, emphasizing the societal expectations placed on women.

One of the most shocking and heart-wrenching chapters delves into the situation in Iran, shedding light on the executions of female politicians. The author skillfully unravels complex power dynamics, exposing the systems that perpetuate inequality. The book serves as an eye-opener, revealing the pain embedded in the struggles for women's rights and deserves widespread readership.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if it were in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

It is an enjoyable and readable account of the formation of patriarchy, or rather patriarchies. Of how they formed and influenced society.

This is a heavily researched book with a lot of facts and figures but it is also a highly readable book. Ms Saini has shown how to educate yet entertain while at times leaving me aghast. What is it that some men are so afraid of? I say some men because the book has several stories of matrilinear cultures and their attitudes are fascinating.

The book starts in prehistory and comes up to the present day. I learned loads and had fun doing so. I didn’t know that in Russia, women had full equality with men in 1917 and in 1920 Russia became the first country in the world to legalise abortion. But women’s rights in Russia are fewer now then then. America used that Russian model to encourage their women to be different to the Russians and stay home and find fulfilment as the homemaker. It’s also worth noting that the Russian model may have encouraged women to work but it still expected them to be responsible for housework and childcare - and the men were paid more.

The chapter on Iran is shocking and heartbreaking and I’d no idea about the executions of female politicians. One Iranian woman, Fatema Mernissi, asked why ‘men use ancient history, tradition or an unchanging faith to justify circumscribing women’s lives, and defining what is acceptable. Yet women cannot bend the past and traditions to have freedom or greater rights.’ There is so much pain in these chapters.

Ms Saini says that "Patriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn’t really exist then. There are instead, more accurately, multiple patriarchies, formed by threads subtly woven together through different cultures in their own way, working with local power structures and existing systems of inequalities."

The author does an excellent job of unpicking some of those threads and leading us through the power labyrinths which protect the men at the top. The book is a real eye opener and deserves to be widely read.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.

A fascinating look at ancient and historical cultures around the world and how they were shaped by patriarchal influence, largely through colonisation. This is a pop anthropology book heavy on the anthropology - mostly about cultures that can be interpreted through artefacts rather than written anecdotes, so don't come to this thinking there will be explorations of modern patriarchy. Really interesting!

As a fan of Angela Saini’s previously books and her work, I was eager to pick up her new book. Patriarchs, takes a different angle than her, in my opinion, previous books less interested in following the chronological ideas of patriarchy (as seen in, Superior) and more a loosely coherent argument surrounding patriarchy in society. As an (now, armchair) archaeologist I enjoyed the archaeological and anthropological evidence surrounding prehistory - catalhoyuk (is a staple in archaeological education!) . And, overallI see what Saini, is trying to do but the lynchpin for me isn’t within this book. Yes, it does cover the rise of the idea and it a role in society - touching on why? Why, does the patriarchy have such a major impact on society - where did it come from? Perhaps, I need to digest the content a bit more, before formulating a coherent review. Did learn some interesting facts. Definitely would recommend to anyone who wants to find out more about the patriarchy.

I found the first third of this book very dry and fairly repetitive and I almost didn't continue (though I fully admit pre-history and archaeology is not my interest area) but I'm glad I did as the book really took off for me when it moved into the political arena and examined the more recent historical forces that have led to patriarchy being considered the normal state of play. I have to say that I didn't find that there was a very compelling overarching narrative beyond the central thesis that patriarchy might not be the natural state of humankind (and it ends rather abruptly) but I found the explorations of other, more matrilineal, cultures very interesting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Really enjoyed this much like her previous title Superior which I read a couple years ago. Particularly enjoy her tone and writing style.

We all fall into the trap of thinking that history runs in a straight line. We think people 1000s of years ago were far lass developed in their thinking than we are now, that progress only goes upwards. The Patriarchs shatters the concept that civil rights have only ever progressed in a linear fashion, that women have only achieved emancipation in the last 100 or so years. Saini does an excellent job of remining us that this is not true, highlighting the civilisations that are believed to have been more equal and the societies that have been in (near) living memory and the reasons why they have been wiped from our collective memory (colonialism, capitalism and the patriarchy to name a few).

I was immediately intrigued by Angela Saini's new book The Patriarchs, because I've often wondered just how the patriarchy came to be. This doesn't really answer the question, but proves instead that there's no one question that can be asked: patriarchy developed differently in every single culture, and every single society responded in a different way. But, even though the subtitle of the book refers to how the patriarchy came to be, I feel like only the first few chapters delved into this. The rest of the book explored different patriarchal systems and resistance to them, which was interesting, but not quite what I wanted to learn about, or what the book promised. 3.5 stars.

“Patriarchy as a single phenomenon doesn’t really exist, then. There are instead, more accurately, multiple patriarchies, formed by threads subtly woven through different cultures in their own way, working with local power structures and existing systems of inequality.”

I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was quite academic & quite dry to get through even though it was an interesting topic. It felt repetitive at times & long winded.
Though I did enjoy the later chapters a lot more & found them a lot more interesting.
There was discussions on how people from different cultures interacting with each affected how women were viewed and how agriculture and war and colonisation affected peoples views on women. Which is all really interesting to know about. It shows how diverse & varied people were & not a monolith

My main issue was when it came to discussions on the Muslim world and Muslim women. It felt very biased to cater to a specific group that felt that religion is the cause of woman’s oppression. Sharing only narratives of certain Muslim women who fits that narrative. How removing the hijab was empowering for them. But it lacked nuance.
There were only discussions included of Muslims who fit a “western view” of empowerment and fighting the patriarchy. Muslims who decided for themselves how to interpret the Quran & discredit over a thousand years of Islamic scholarship.
Which was ironic because she did discuss earlier how white feminism was harmful.

The history of the islamic world wasn’t included in the earlier chapters & how Islam had a positive impact for how women were treated & yet there was a focus on the Muslim world now.
Context is important otherwise it causes more harm and spreads misinformation.

Overall there were parts that were really interesting & some that weren’t so much and some things I really disagreed with especially discussions on Muslim women.

Angela Saini does a wonderful job of making you stop and think about what the 'norm' is and why. An excellent companion to Inferior, and a must for fans of Invisible Women.

A thought provoking and interesting look into the possible origins of patriarchy. I especially enjoyed the insight into cultures in prehistory and the genetics that can show us new insights into the past.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Patriarchs is a fascinating book that uncovers how societies, spread across the globe and throughout history, have been male dominated. This book is essential reading!

Angela Saini manages to write another book full of information, history, examples of different cultures why the society could be different but still it isn't. I recommend this book to anyone who's interested in finding more about this male dominated society and how we got here.

This is a non-fiction tour de force of the history of patriarchy, from ancient societies through to the modern day, Saini explores whether patriarchy is the natural state that has always existed, or whether there have been societal variations.

What’s fascinating is how patriarchal control has vacillated over time and in different political realities, not least in the 20th century.

A really interesting and insightful read. Thank you to NETGALLEY for the ARC.

Really fascinating account of the relationship between women and the patriarchy. I loved the varying examples in different time periods and different parts of the world. I also found the “what if” questions and discussions really eye-opening. Just wish there was more!

I’ve read a fair amount on the origins and persistence of patriarchy from a political or social science perspective. The Patriarchs is interesting because it takes a different approach. It focuses particularly on archaeology, anthropology and genetics to consider where patriarchy might have come from and the variety of forms it takes. Saini also considers some contemporary and recent societies which offer a different model.

At its heart is the question often posed by feminist theorists – is patriarchy universal, and if so why? Some have speculated that there may have been prehistoric societies that were built around goddess-worship or more equal gender roles. Even if that is the case, why should it be a precondition for change? Shouldn’t the demand for equality rest on its own merits?

One area of the book I found particularly interesting was on the possible beginnings of patriarchy in Europe and Asia. In the 1960s, British-Dutch archaeologist James Mellaart discovered a spectacular female figurine at Çatalhöyük in modern day Turkey, on an excavation of a 9000-year-old settlement. This led to a narrative of female goddess worship and a matriarchal culture, although there are other interpretations. (Saini notes how the prejudices of researchers colour their thinking. So a body found buried with valuable weapons would be assumed to be male. If evidence proves it is female, researches would assume she must be the spouse or relative of a great male warrior, rather than a warrior honoured in her own right.)

His contemporary, archaeologist and researcher Marija Gimbutas, drew on her work on Neolithic cultures in the Danube Valley. She argued that there may have been matrilineal societies in Old Europe and parts of Asia which were subsequently overrun by a patrilineal, warrior Kurgan culture from the steppes. While there was scepticism about some of the more speculative elements of her work during her lifetime, recent scientific analysis at Çatalhöyük suggests men and women had similar diets and did similar work, and DNA evidence does now bear out the subsequent migration of the Kurgan people to the region.

While many argue agriculture gave rise to inequality and strongly gendered roles, Saini discusses the accumulating evidence from Mesopotamia that it was the birth of the state. States require workers to generate wealth for their rulers. This requires women to be controlled and to reproduce.

Saini reminds us that, even within a dominant ideology, there will be differences in the lives of individual women. People resist, they adapt, they find allies, they make use of whatever power – economic, social or temperamental – they have.

She also considers some counter-examples to patriarchy, such as matrilineal systems in Kerala (abolished in 1975), and Meghalaya in India, where inheritance is passed down the female line and women have more autonomy in their relationships and child-rearing. She contrasts the positions of authority held by women in Native American societies in the nineteenth century with their white counterparts fighting for suffrage.

Often when I’m reading this kind of book I dip in and out and stop to digest what I’m reading. But The Patriarchs combines scholarship and insight with a very readable and accessible style. It’s a fascinating read and I burnt through it in a couple of days.
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I received a copy of The Patriarchs from the publisher via NetGalley.