‘I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book’ Sathnam Sanghera

In this bold and radical book, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe.

‘By thinking about gendered inequality as rooted in something unalterable within us, we fail to see it for what it is: something more fragile that has had to be constantly remade and reasserted.’

In this bold and radical book, award-winning science journalist Angela Saini goes in search of the true roots of gendered oppression, uncovering a complex history of how male domination became embedded in societies and spread across the globe from prehistory into the present.

Travelling to the world’s earliest known human settlements, analysing the latest research findings in science and archaeology, and tracing cultural and political histories from the Americas to Asia, she overturns simplistic universal theories to show that what patriarchy is and how far it goes back really depends on where you are.

Despite the push back against sexism and exploitation in our own time, even revolutionary efforts to bring about equality have often ended in failure and backlash. Saini ends by asking what part we all play – women included – in keeping patriarchal structures alive, and why we need to look beyond the old narratives to understand why it persists in the present.

Reviews

‘I learned something new on every page of this totally essential book. And for such a serious topic, I was surprised to be greatly entertained too. Angela is the best possible guide’ Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland

‘It is easy to think of the progress of the past half-century in linear terms, as a march away toward gender equality and away from a grim patriarchal past. Saini dismantles this thinking. She points out, for example, that Western colonialism contributed to the destruction of gender diverse systems, which often granted greater freedoms for women. . . Western colonialism displaced more gender-fluid and often matriarchal systems of relations’ Science

‘A deep and incisive look at the historical origins of patriarchal structures we are still fighting today. A must-read for every feminist’ Rafia Zakaria, author of Against White Feminism

‘This is a truly excellent, important and insightful book. By unpacking the terms “patriarchy” and “feminism”, Saini reveals that the words themselves have complex histories. She reminds us to critique every piece of evidence and wade back through centuries of misunderstanding, misrepresentation and mistruths. A glorious work!’ Janina Ramirez

‘Bold, incisive, and beautifully told, The Patriarchs is a truly riveting investigation into the origins and consequences of structural power. The depth and originality of Angela Saini’s thought and research is breath-taking, and world-changing. A phenomenally important and deeply enjoyable book’ Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women

‘Based on extensive interviews with leading experts, this wide-ranging book injects new life into debates on the origins of patriarchy’ David Wengrow, Professor of Comparative Archaeology at UCL and author of The Dawn of Everything