GarfunkeL
Racism Expert
I've had this idea flopping around in my head for a while now so I decided to write some stuff down and utilize the Hivemind for further deliberations. I may or may not actually write any stories in this setting, as of now its purely a mental exercise. I don't want to create a pure Gor/fapping-fantasy; I'd like it be consistent and have logical, rational thinking behind it if possible. It should not be misogynistic utopia, rather I'm trying to create a dystopia for 90% of its inhabitants.
To the point then! What would a high-technology society look like if it was extremely patriarchal and how could it have remained so through its development and finally, can it remain as one without excessive handwaving?
1) Political power rests completely in the hands of an upper caste of men whose sons will eventually surpass them. They make up a parliament or a ruling council or whatever. There should be perhaps a dozen castes and up/downward movement would be impossible.
2) Education is available only to men and the amount of education one receives would be determined by his caste - lowest cast members are literate and have basic technical understanding but no more while upper caste members make up the managers, scientists, officers and politicians and receive sufficient education for it.
3) There should be a some sort of law system in place, applicable at least to men as I feel that otherwise the society would explode if the lower castes would have no shielding from the whims of the upper castes. Could it be applied to women as well? Perhaps they are property, in the eyes of law. Lower castes should not equal serfdom automatically.
4) Classic marriage and family unit should not exist. Inheritance and lineage are traced completely through the father's side. Since only the position of the father matters but its significance is huge, it means that polygamy would be one sided, ie men could have multiple wives while female sexuality would still be controlled to a large extent. Unless the actual genetics do not matter, rather the "owner" of a woman determines the status of the children she bears? So a girl would be owned by her father or possibly brother until he trades her away to move under the ownerships of another male.
5) Society would evolve very little if at all, furthermore scientific progress would be very slow because majority of population would be excluded from it and pressure for new innovation would be minimal. Majority of population should be complacent in their position as otherwise the system would collapse immediately. I loathe to use religion to justify this complacency, as this would detract from the sci-fi portion of it though maybe it could be plugged in somehow. Perhaps mindless mass entertainment and prolific use of recreational drugs that dull the mind, government sanctioned of course?
6) Can job market be completely closed to women? This would mean a significant "idle" population, even if they maintain household and work as servants. Could the society described above perhaps sustain 1920/30s style where women work for as low-paid entry-level jobs until getting married. But as there would be no institution of marriage in this society - would the women always work for their "owner", whether that man would be their father or brother. Perhaps low castes use women helpers in labour-intensive jobs (many agricultural operations). On the other hand would the presence of women in public life and perhaps factories and offices create pressure for their legislative and cultural role to change?
That's what I've thought about so far. Gimme feedback!
To the point then! What would a high-technology society look like if it was extremely patriarchal and how could it have remained so through its development and finally, can it remain as one without excessive handwaving?
1) Political power rests completely in the hands of an upper caste of men whose sons will eventually surpass them. They make up a parliament or a ruling council or whatever. There should be perhaps a dozen castes and up/downward movement would be impossible.
2) Education is available only to men and the amount of education one receives would be determined by his caste - lowest cast members are literate and have basic technical understanding but no more while upper caste members make up the managers, scientists, officers and politicians and receive sufficient education for it.
3) There should be a some sort of law system in place, applicable at least to men as I feel that otherwise the society would explode if the lower castes would have no shielding from the whims of the upper castes. Could it be applied to women as well? Perhaps they are property, in the eyes of law. Lower castes should not equal serfdom automatically.
4) Classic marriage and family unit should not exist. Inheritance and lineage are traced completely through the father's side. Since only the position of the father matters but its significance is huge, it means that polygamy would be one sided, ie men could have multiple wives while female sexuality would still be controlled to a large extent. Unless the actual genetics do not matter, rather the "owner" of a woman determines the status of the children she bears? So a girl would be owned by her father or possibly brother until he trades her away to move under the ownerships of another male.
5) Society would evolve very little if at all, furthermore scientific progress would be very slow because majority of population would be excluded from it and pressure for new innovation would be minimal. Majority of population should be complacent in their position as otherwise the system would collapse immediately. I loathe to use religion to justify this complacency, as this would detract from the sci-fi portion of it though maybe it could be plugged in somehow. Perhaps mindless mass entertainment and prolific use of recreational drugs that dull the mind, government sanctioned of course?
6) Can job market be completely closed to women? This would mean a significant "idle" population, even if they maintain household and work as servants. Could the society described above perhaps sustain 1920/30s style where women work for as low-paid entry-level jobs until getting married. But as there would be no institution of marriage in this society - would the women always work for their "owner", whether that man would be their father or brother. Perhaps low castes use women helpers in labour-intensive jobs (many agricultural operations). On the other hand would the presence of women in public life and perhaps factories and offices create pressure for their legislative and cultural role to change?
That's what I've thought about so far. Gimme feedback!