The Return to Patriachy?

Denis Dutton's wonderful site Arts and Letters Daily recently added this intriguing like to a story titled The Return to Patriachy?
In it the author, Phillip Longman, posits the thesis that a patriachal society was successful because it produced more children and that today's societies will probably become more patriachal and right wing because parents who are right wing are having more children.
It makes the point I've made in a post below, that the patriachal systems exist because they work, better than I have.
However, Mr Longman's article seems a little light on evidence. It essentially only relies on ancient Greek and Roman history and has little in the way of numbers to back it up. It also relies on the assumption that the ideas and beliefs of parents are passed on to their children (an assertion I happen to agree with but let's see the evidence).

I imagine this might get some of my gentle readers het up so discuss away...
I might add that I'm not sure I would support a return to patriachy but I don't think our current social system is going to be terribly successful and I think we will see it change within my lifetime.

Feminism is the best thing for blokes

I was listening to Maureen Dowd talking to Kim Hill on Saturday morning (4 March). Audio here. Maureen Dowd is a rather well known feminist columnist in the US.

Her comments, especially saying that women are competing to have the same slutty look, caused me to think something. Feminism has been much better for guys than it's been for women.

First two disclaimers: this is a thought I'm only just developing and I do generally believe in feminism - or rather the greater point that people should have the opportunity to live the life their talents allow.

In the much romanticised 1950s we had a fairly simple contract - marriage was for life. This contract led to a whole set of subsequent decisions. Essentially women could have children with the security that their husband would help support them - at least that was the claim. Marriage was taken a bit more seriously and, I believe (maybe foolishly), that more was considered than just looks.

However, nowadays, love appears to be far more facile, and far more desired. Women are competing to dress more revealingly because that is what they need to do to get guys. They need to do this because commitment is optional and temporary. A man can always go out and get another woman.

Women, however, have the worst end of the stick. Now they have uncertain marriages, generally keep the children, often have diminished earning prospects because of time spent working in the home and, if they are have children they attempt to be supermom - mother, wife and worker.