I have argued that misogyny was at the root of Donald J. Trump’s re-election (see “How misogyny prevents many Catholics from accepting women in leadership”), and the outsized number of this administration’s proposed cabinet members—in addition to Mr. Trump himself—who have been credibly accused or convicted of sexual assault only confirms my belief. As Mr. Trump reclaims power, we are offered a clear look at the ways patriarchy—a worldview of dominant (white) masculinity—has shaped our cultural ethos.
Take Mr. Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth. Mr. Hegseth, who has faced credible allegations of sexual assault and lacks meaningful experience that qualifies him for the position, has indicated that he would “clean house of the woke crap.” In his book published just last year, he mocked the idea of the military pursuing “the social justice messages of gender equity, racial diversity, climate stupidity, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes” and wrote that it has been “normal dudes” who have “saved us in every war since the Founding and will eventually save us again.” He also implied that these “normal dudes” are predominantly white, writing that Democrats would see them and think “white rural rage.”
Celebrating (and misremembering) the imperial conquests of white men has led to the rugged individualism and ethic of dominance that informs American culture. This is not to say that white men never deserve admiration for acts of valor or ingenuity; it is only to critique the idea they are solely responsible for American prosperity or always laudable. Nevertheless, the focus on “alpha males” and “real masculinity” paid off for the Trump campaign. It seems that many young men feel that they are being held back from their rightful place as warrior-saviors, and they resent efforts to empower women.
In a Buzzfeed feature on Gen Z men, one young voter suggested that “young men need positive reinforcement and to feel valued” and that the political right offers them “a vision of confidence and pride.” Another said that the concerns of young men “are often entirely dismissed or discredited due to our historical privileges, and modern-day young men are feeling left behind because they ARE being left behind.” Yet another pointed to the #MeToo movement as an example of discrimination against men by “the left.”
As the mother of a young boy, I am sensitive to these feelings of isolation, in particular among young men who feel rejected or excluded by attempts to end the cultural dominance of white men. I hope my son will never feel the same sense of diminishment. But rather than discouraging my efforts to dismantle patriarchy, this hope spurs me on. Young men are clearly experiencing a crisis of belonging and meaning, but the patriarchal paradigm our culture has offered them will only exacerbate it.
Patriarchy is the opposite of a ‘natural order’
Patriarchy defines the world by categories, placing some—those it deems masculine—at the top of a social hierarchy. It imposes strict binary distinctions and boundaries to enforce this hierarchy. But these categories actually violate the natural order of things—that is, the interdependency of life—by separating us from one another. As the theologian Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J., observes: “In the dualistic framework, the physically fecund powers of both women and the earth are ontologically inferior to the rational mind.… The resulting worldview subordinates both women and earth to men’s control, which can turn violent and exploitative with little compunction.”
We see this paradigm—and, in some cases, the corresponding violence—in the agenda of the incoming administration and Congress. We are hearing plans of mass raids targeting undocumented migrants; of somehow colonizing Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal; and of rejecting climate accords and expanding extractive industries. Bills have been introduced in the new Congress that would repeal the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, the 2010 Affordable Care Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (which includes sweeping environmental protections).
But patriarchy is a self-perpetuating system, and a self-defeating one. Its hierarchical dualism generates feelings of isolation, disillusion and disempowerment; and these feelings in turn motivate efforts to claim dominance and maintain divisions. As the 20th-century German philosopher Hannah Arendt observed, loneliness and isolation are primary drivers of totalitarian ideologies, since they are “closely connected with uprootedness and superfluousness…and the break-down of political institutions and social traditions in our own time.” For Arendt, a society that isolates people from one another is one that invites coercive displays of power. Mr. Hegseth’s rhetoric calls to mind Arendt’s analysis; in his book, The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait observes, Mr. Hegseth calls for the “categorical defeat of the Left” and its “utter annihilation.”
If we want a society in which all—including our boys—can flourish, we must dismantle the patriarchy. This is not about limiting the options of men but about fostering connection over competition so that all can thrive. We do not need the “warrior culture” Mr. Hegseth is proposing to bring to the Pentagon, which is rooted in hierarchy and exclusivity; instead, we need to develop a culture of encounter and belonging.
This goal can be challenging for those who belong to religions with strict gender binaries. In the Catholic Church, an institution characterized by a patriarchal hierarchy, we are taught that women and men complement each other, each bringing gender-specific gifts to the partnership. But in a society that values characteristics traditionally labeled “masculine,” women (the “weaker sex,” as the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene calls us) are forced to acquiesce to traditional roles or to become “more masculine” to attain equity. At the same time, men who reject these gender binaries are viewed as more “feminine,” a demotion in the hierarchy. And so the Meta mogul Mark Zuckerberg recently lamented on Joe Rogan’s podcast that society has become “emasculated” and implied a positive association between masculinity and ruthlessness.
Within a patriarchal framework, the empowerment of others is viewed as a threat rather than a gift. This is precisely why we need to adopt a cultural paradigm that invites us all—of any gender—to embrace the vulnerability and interdependence of being human, and to redefine power and success in ways that recognize that all flourishing is mutual. As Catholics, we should be leading the way. A different paradigm, rooted in what Pope Francis called in “Laudato Si’” an “awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging” (No. 202) is needed—for the sake of our boys, not despite them.
As my son begins to find his place in this world, I want to teach him that we are all connected, and that fostering the full participation of all is the surest way to flourishing. Just as I teach my daughters to be courageous and curious, I want my son to learn that “feminine” virtues like nurturing and caring are qualities that all humans should embody. I want him to understand that power is not about control or violence—that there is power in interdependence and in compassion; power in creating space for dialogue and participation; power in the awareness that one is both a necessary participant and one among many in the community of being; and power in embodied acts of care that nurture the flourishing of others.
While the incoming Trump administration seems determined to reinforce the patriarchal paradigm that divides us, our faith calls us to embrace divine incarnation, which refutes the idea of rigid dichotomies between categories of people. Facing this new administration, we should evaluate policies and positions not by traditional criteria of success, such as financial wealth, but through a framework that aligns with the web of life that holds us all.
Nonviolent resistance and acts of community-building will be a powerful and necessary antidote to patriarchal norms. By directly opposing actions by the incoming administration that oppress, divide or do violence, these acts of resistance can bear witness to life-giving solidarity, reciprocity and compassion. May we be the ones to counter the dominative impulses of our leaders with a paradigm of interconnection and belonging.
