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Patriarchy is a term used in feminism to describe the system of gender-based hierarchy in society which assigns most power to men, and assigns higher value to men, maleness, and "masculine traits". Feminism recognizes most of human society as patriarchal. Feminists work to end the perpetuation of patriarchy, deeming it oppressive for women and people of non-binary genders.
Some feminists and anti-oppression activists prefer to analyse gendered power relations in terms of kyriarchy and/or intersectionality, finding "patriarchy" too focused on gendered societal power at the expense of other intersecting oppressions. Others prefer to continue using the term patriarchy when describing gendered oppression.