Episodes 3 & 4: The Creation of Patriarchy, by Gerda Lerner

The Creation of Patriarchy

“Patriarchy is a historic construct; it has a beginning; it will have an end.”

Gerda Lerner

The Book

The Creation of Patriarchy is a nonfiction book written by Gerda Lerner in 1986 as an explanation for the origins of misogyny in ancient Mesopotamia and the following Western societies. She traces the “images, metaphors, [and] myths” that lead to patriarchal concepts’ existence in Western society.

The Author

Gerda Lerner was the single most influential figure in the development of women’s and gender history since the 1960s. Over 50 years, a field that encompassed a handful of brave and potentially marginal historians became one with thousands; and expanded from Lerner’s development of an MA program at Sarah Lawrence College to the presence of women’s-history faculty in the great majority of US colleges and universities.

Our Guest: Sherrie Crawford

Sherrie Crawford was born in Utah, the fifth of six children, and grew up in Arizona. She graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Social Work, and completed a Master’s degree in Social Work from Boise State University. She is an elementary school counselor, and lives in Idaho with her husband and four children. Sherrie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, hiking, nature, adventures, learning, and any time spent in any body of water.

Amy’s Takeaways

This book absolutely blew my mind – I read it three times. Overlaps a little with Eisler, but goes way deeper and travels farther forward in history. This book has given me really practical answers to questions that flummoxed me in conversations with people who try to defend and explain away patriarchal practices. You know those conversations where you stammer and your chest fills with fire and you cry afterward? (Or on the other side, you know when you are explaining something to someone and they get mad and maybe cry?) Lerner will give you insights for those conversations. My reading partner Sherrie and I tackle some tough stuff in these two episodes. Ancient civilization was often violent, and generally horrible to women. Religious sources may be different from what you thought. The Bible says some really awful stuff. We tackle it. Sherrie is the kindest soul alive, and an absolute goddess of wisdom. She and I have been friends since we were 20 and have been through a lot together.