My mother's ethnic group is historically exactly like this (even right down to the word for father being more like uncle and your actual biological father being just kind of a sperm donor). But what I think people miss is that as much as this isn't a perfect system that gives women total empowerment it is one that treats men as disposable. What that means is that, yes the women are stuck doing all the work and the men are treated like children and babied and coddled, but they are also regarded as capable and decision-making is the domain of a woman and her relatives.

What also happens at least with my mother's people is that age becomes an enrichment for a woman not a demerit. The older you are as a woman the more social standing you have and so there is no focus on youth as the only source of beauty and beauty as the only source of power.

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Actually, when I read this article last week I thought the whole arrangement sounded kinda cool. My extended family is totally matriarchal: women do the child-rearing and drudgework (like washing dishes and generally keeping house) but the work is held in higher regard. There's a lot to be said for that perspective. My grandfather worked, but he turned over his whole salary to my grandmother, who gave him an allowance, and then directed the rest to schooling the kids and feeding the family and from what I hear generally deferred to her in a lot of decision-making (domestic and otherwise).

Just sayin'.

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For example, he mentions that the men get to sleep with a different woman every night, but doesn't go into what makes up women's sexual decision making. If the men are sleeping around, the women must be also, which he admits later in the article but doesn't really cast as a benefit.

The wiki article paints a much different picture of a matrilineal society ruled by a noble class with serial monogamy rather than one night stands. [en.wikipedia.org]

Nothing this guys says seems that noteworthy or original, I assume he's just better at PR than your average academic with a nuanced view of things.

Honestly, what it reminds me the most of is super religious Judaism. Lineage is traced through the female line and men aren't as involved in the day to day running of things.

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That's a woman's world.

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[forums.randi.org]

[forums.randi.org]

[www.mosuoproject.org]

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