One characteristic of patriarchy in this case is the sexual control of females in society. They control the media and send out images of what is desirable in men and women (lecture 1/21). Today men prefer women with large breasts and petite bodies because that's what is popular. However, this is an almost impossible body type for women to achieve. Mrs. Harris was willing to change her body in this way to fit this form. As long as men continue to define what is sexy, women will continue to conform to those norms and patriarchy will remain strong. .
Another characteristic that strengthens patriarchy is the primacy of female childbearing. Even though women gain strength in the workplace, people still want to know how women balance their professional and personal life (lecture 1/21). Even in this case, the deceased's parents wanted Mrs. Harris to be released because they want her to raise the children. This woman ran over her husband with their daughter in the car, and yet Harris" parents still feel that she is the best available caregiver for the children. Until men take a more active role in childbearing, women will continue to be seen as the primary caretakers of children.
Finally, this case involves the derived female status characteristic of patriarchy. Women's status is derived from their attachment to men (lecture 1/21). A woman could be successful in the professional world, but if she isn't with a man, society says that something is wrong with her. Mrs. Harris was a successful dentist, and she could have supported herself, but didn't want to carry the stigma of being a single, professional woman. As long as society sees it necessary for women to "need" a man, patriarchy will continue to be strong. .
B. The gendered personality trait discussed is aggression and it's influenced primarily by discrimination. Aggression is seen as a male trait in the competency cluster (lecture 1/23).
