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PATRIARCHY (2 of 5)

AN IDEOLOGY INVOLVES COMMITMENT TO A RECOGNIZED POSITION
In a patriarchal society the term "family" defines a very specific grouping that includes a married man and woman and their children. The term also includes the requirement that the man is expected to take on the role of family protector and provider, while the woman is expected to take on the role of caretaker. Thus, in patriarchical societies husbands go to work and wives stay home with the children.

In many industrialized societies today, the dominant ideology accepts the belief that both parents can and perhaps should go to work. In those societies, people who retain the patriarchal definition of "family" see this change as a threat to their way of life. Thus, in the United States those who debate the issue of "family values" have difficulty finding compromise because of their ideological commitments.