the power of the matriarch

 Matriarchy, as defined in more depth here is a social system or society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. The male equivalent to this is a patriarchy. As a young female living in the 21st century who often feels trapped in the succulent interior of a patriarchal world, I question everything. Why is it okay to believe a female president would be incompetent compared to a male president? Why don't more women hold political positions and why do they continue to get paid less? Why are men deciding what females can and can't do with their bodies in regards to reproductive health? Why was I taught to buy and wear make up and live up to unrealistic beauty standards? Is this all a product of patriarchy? I believe that patriarchy created a world of competition, power, and wealth, and that this (especially in the U.S) is concentrated in the hands of a small minority, the alpha male. Because of all these aforementioned things, matriarchy is unfortunately not a term we hear much in the context of current or pre-existing human societies. Only recently I discovered that this dialogue has already been created for the animal kingdom and I felt inspired to learn more.

Hyenas, elephants, lions, lemurs, bonobos, honeybees, oh my! yes. All beautiful and successful creatures living and working together in a female dominated social structure. I will now go on to explain a few to help get a better idea of what life is like for these animals through the lens of a matriarchy.

Spotted Hyenas are some of Africa's most efficient and vicious predators and scavengers. They are intelligent and complex creatures, moreover they are gender benders and thrive in a matriarchy.

Every clan is ruled by an alpha female, and the males are pretty much at the bottom of the social totem pole and do not have a say in any decision making. Males feed last and must endure abuse or are subject to violent punishments by the females. Additionally, females are bigger and more aggressive and have a very large clitoris that is almost indistinguishable from a penis making their sexual organs (and identity) very ambiguous. What is certain is that these females are strong, protective and courageous, and have successfully helped their species thrive in extreme  and very unforgiving environments. Impressive? very.

Elephants are also structured by a matriarchy, and produce one of the most complex social organizations found among animals. The herds are composed of related females, led by the oldest and wisest female. She is most likely selected through a process of establishing dominance, confidence and connection to the other elephants. The herd relies on her to make decisions and direct them to safe places to forage, feed and bathe. Female mothers are attentive and very compassionate creatures, some African matriarchal herds are even adopting surrogate relatives to replace those killed by poachers, showing their adaptability and complexity in the face of human pressure threatening their existence.

Lion prides are similar in that the pride consists of females that are all related to one another and are the primary hunters. They have communal litters where all cubs end up having more than one "mother", and the lioness and her cubs are the focus of the society.  


Bonobo's are the closest relatives to humans and chimpanzees, but they are an egalitarian, non-violent, sexually charged matriarchy. They are one of the very few species who have recreational sex, both homosexual and heterosexual and the females usually always initiate the sexual activities and use sex to resolve conflicts. They are highly intelligent animals and aggressive behavior is not common among them, sexual bonding defuses natural aggression and tension in the group. Chimpanzees on the other hand, are to me a symbol of the traditional patriarchal society; War over territory, sex to fertilize females, strength, competition and aggression between males, etc..  What is striking here is that early humans could have easily behaved more like bonobos than chimpanzees, and in regards to having sex for pleasure, we do.

                                          two females engaging in sexual behavior

why is it important to study these matriarchies and what can be learned from them?

First of all it shouldn't be natural for us to regard patriarchy as the norm and biology should not be a determining factor for holding either males or females superior over the other. Matriarchy to me is the power from within and not the power to rule over others, it is not possessive or controlling but has to do with being harmonious in nature, creating tight bonds and maintaining connection and community. Sustainable female led societies ARE possible and DO exist.