The Female Face in Patriarchy: Oppression as Culture [Paperback]

Frances O'Conner (Author), Becky S. Drury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1998

The Female Face in Patriarchy discusses women's complicity in patriarchal dominance and their role in fostering their own oppression. This work, the result of a two-year study by Frances O'Connor and Becky Drury focusing on Brazil and the United States, examines how and why women are participants and promoters of their own oppression in the Roman Catholic Church. Using the Church as a model for society in general, The Female Face in Patriarchy demonstrates how women, through centuries of conditioning, have become both victims and perpetrators of their own oppression and how their cooperation with, and submission to, patriarchal dominance has been both conscious and unconscious.
     The authors begin by asking tough questions: How does patriarchy deform a woman's soul? How and why does a woman embrace patriarchy? What are the ramifications of female patriarchal behavior? Their conclusions are based on data gathered through hundreds of personal interviews with women in parish settings and small communities. Leading Catholic feminists were interviewed about their theories as to why women are co-opted by the patriarchal system. The experiences of grassroots sisters and other women were compared with, and used to either corroborate or refute, the assumptions and theories of leading American and Brazilian feminists. Women are formed to hang their heads.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frances O'Connor C.S.C., is a member of the faculty at Holy Cross College, Notre Dame, Indiana

Becky S. Drury is the Director of Development for the University of Pittsburgh's Semester at Sea Program.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I saw this in my own home. The mother passes these ideas on in the family. There is no point in trying to change this. Since our mothers inculcated this idea in us, so in religious life when we encounter domination we allow ourselves to be dominated. It is a vicious circle. The big responsibility is the mother's. If she isn't aware of what she is doing then the other children willcarry it on.~Sister of Bahia, Brazil

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Michigan State University Press (October 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870134949
• ISBN-13: 978-0870134944
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,659,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Catholic Feminist View of Patriarchy, May 17, 2000

By 

Sheila Richardson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Female Face in Patriarchy: Oppression as Culture (Paperback)

The Female Face in Patiarchy: Oppression As Culture specifically explores the female participation in oppression by the Catholic Church and, thereby, slightly explores the oppression of women in American and Brazilian cultures generally. Without women's support the exploitation of women would cease in short order according to the authors of this scholarly work. Women not only support the supression of women in the Catholic Church, but actively supress women attempting to change the condition for themselves and others. The book is a radically feminist report that I would recommend to my Catholic friends and people in general. We all need to take a closer look at the condition we live in and take part in. There are times when a radical look will capture our attention more quickly than a subtle one. This is one. Can we afford to wait?