Media Studies A-Level
Patriarchy
What Patriarchy means in Media Studies A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Patriarchy
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Patriarchy in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
A feminist concept describing a social system in which men hold dominant power and women are systematically subordinated across institutions such as the family, the state, paid work and culture.
Topics that use Patriarchy
- Feminist theories (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Achieved equality as a claim
- Application of theory to media texts and industries
- Audience position
- Critical evaluation of media framing
- Individual choice versus structural inequality
- Male gaze
- Normalisation of male authority
- Post-feminism
Using Patriarchy in the exam
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