In any society, the foot soldiers of patriarchy are women who enforce the dominant, male-orientated, socio-political system in which men are seen as naturally powerful and dominant, and male interests, across economics and politics, are institutionalised. Patriarchy—the word originates from the Greek ‘patriarkhes’, which means ‘rule of the father’—or systemic male supremacy needs women to sustain and perpetuate it. The 84-year-old Anandiben Patel, governor of Uttar Pradesh and former chief minister of Gujarat, demonstrated this last Thursday. While addressing the 41st convocation ceremony at Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University in Kanpur, she urged women students to be “expert mothers” before aspiring to “become IAS........

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