My new favorite word, and some kick-ass links

My new favorite word? Kyriarchy.

Kyriarchy – a neologism coined by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and derived from the Greek words for “lord” or “master” (kyrios) and “to rule or dominate” (archein) which seeks to redefine the analytic category of patriarchy in terms of multiplicative intersecting structures of domination…Kyriarchy is best theorized as a complex pyramidal system of intersecting multiplicative social structures of superordination and subordination, of ruling and oppression.

That is it, all over. It gets the win. I’m using it as frequently as I can from now on. I blame the kyriarchy. I should rename the blog that (nah). But still: love.

On to things I wish I’d said:

This woman’s work over at Spilt Milk

But the bulk of emotionwork within families remains a burden that women bear. Some of the blame for that needs to lie with women themselves who, in hanging onto whatever small powers they feel able to weild, continue to perpetuate the myth that men are hopeless and oafish when it comes to finer points of running a connected household. Relinquishing this sham is essential to laying down some of the burden. But we can’t discount that traditional gender roles and the structures – especially workplaces – which continue to both support and rely on them are the main reason why women must do most emotionwork[...]

(My reply, minus the giddy jig of joy: “This is what’s so often missing even in households where housework is supposedly shared “equally”. The woman (especially if she’s the mother) is the one to keep track of who needs to do what when, and organizes and cares for the family’s social life/relationship obligations. This more than the dishes or the nappy changes seems to be the last bastion of “women’s work” even among the “enlightened” men I know.”)

On squeaky wheels at Shapely Prose:

Kate recently defined privilege as “the luxury of not thinking about it much,” which I think is perfect. One of the consequences of privilege, then, is that if you want people to be inclusive of you, you often have to remind them that you exist. It sucks to have to do this all the time, which is part of why so many people — particularly those struggling to understand their own privilege — confuse privilege with prejudice or ignorance. Even if you’re not actively oppressing those who lack the privileges you have, you are oppressing them by failing to consider them part of the status quo, by requiring them to make explicit requests for basic representation or consideration. We need to be aware of that when it comes to the privileges we have — do you, by default, consider everybody or only the people whose experiences you find familiar?

Which makes me want to delve in to the post on privilege and “in the family” that’s been bubbling away in my cranium for a while (“The Boychick and Dykes to Watch Out For!” how can you not love that title?), but as it is I’m on borrowed time here. Which is to say: this is me, putting off one thing (actually, three or a dozen+ things, depending on how we’re counting) by coming here to say I’m putting off another thing. Yes, I have achieved multitasking procrastination! Just one of my many talents I get to hone to a fine edge thanks to having the Boychick in tow.

But for now, I’ll leave you with a call to head over to Raise the Change to answer a question I posed there on Women’s History Month:

I read some really interesting critiques of Black History Month last month (check out Womanist Musings‘s thoughts on the topic), and was wondering if any of the same applies to Women’s History month. Is it a good thing to be spotlighted like this? An unfortunate practice that will be unnecessary after the revolution? A ghettoization that keeps us in our place? What are your thoughts?

Feel free to leave an answer in the comments, though I’d love to see you over there as well. Also note that I hesitated a long time before using the word “ghettoization”, and ultimately used it because I could think of none better; caring critiques and alternate suggestions welcome.