Umzi ka mama

Matriarchy is a system of women’s power that focuses on women’s leadership, governance and authority. Eller in Marler (2002) defines matriarchy as a society where women are superior to men and embrace feminine values and culture. According to Goettner-Abendroth and Smith (2008), matriarchy is often misunderstood or misrepresented as a system that advances women’s equality above men. This simplistic view of matriarchy neglects to acknowledge how the system is actually about creating “balanced and complementary ways of being those values both genders across generations and treats them with dignity” (Goettner-Abendroth & Smith, 2008:49). These two views on matriarchy form part of polarised interpretations and understandings of matriarchy. Polarisation emerges from Western and African interpretations and contextual understanding of the term in societies.