History Main / Matriarchy

* ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'''s Queendom is technically a Matriarchy, in that the monarch is always a queen. However, her armies are commanded by her husband, whom she does not choose and is decided by the outcome of a grand tournament. Likewise, the Queen does have executive power but in practice the Senate (which seems to comprised entirely of men) own enough land and have enough soldiers loyal to them that the Queen must play politics in order to avoid them obstructing or dethroning her. The only other women in positions of power in the Queendom are a retired Admiral who now serves as mayor of a single town, and the leader of the Queendom's religion, who lives in a small settlement on a remote mountain. [[spoiler: In the GoldenEnding, this is on the way to being reformed: the new Queen is still a young teenager, so she's not married: the Commander of her armies is her older brother (the player character), and the Senate is much less poisonous and self-interested.]]

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The alternate US seems to be dominated by women, as they occupy both the top government and military positions. However, it doesn't exactly reverse social hierarchy in the US either, and there's no sign of explicit misandry. It seems to be a result of the fact that most witches we've seen are female, and so by association women in general obtained more power, thus falling into the Original Matriarchy category. It's also notable that black and Latina women are visibly equal with white ones. Nor does anyone care if a person is LGBT. The matrifocal commune Tally is from would be one by default as well, since no men live there. Except for this, it's not depicted as really too different from the modern US regarding fashion, government, technology etc. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, an in-universe rendition of ''America the Beautiful'' also replaces "brotherhood" with "sisterhood". The Cession is run by an all-female council, with representatives from different native tribes (Lakota, Ojibwe, Muscogee and Cherokee).

** Justified in the case of magic: all magic-users in the setting (called "channelers") are women, because the male aspect of the magical source is tainted and anyone who uses it goes mad and dies. This, combined with the [[WizardsLiveLonger slowed aging resulting from magic use]], has created a number of magical societies throughout the world that consist entirely of women. This also provides a JustSoStory explanation for matriarchy within the setting generally: The Hundred Companions were a group of men who rashly attacked the Dark One and got their side of the source tainted by his counterstroke. The resulting madness and chaos resulted in a world where ever society is at least a little reluctant about the idea of men having authority.

** Hyena society is complex enough strength and gender are not the only factors in determining a hyena's rank: social support, inheritance, and whether the hyena was born to the clan or is a dispersal from another clan play important roles. Newer research has found that in rare, exceptional circumstances, a male hyena can even rule a clan: Hyenas often take the rank directly below their mother, so if a matriarch's son fails to disperse (males usually disperse, so this is rare) and his mother happens to die or leave the clan (dispersing is rare for a female), he may "inherit the throne" from his mother and become the highest ranked in his clan. This is probably more likely to happen if he has no willing sisters to take that rank.

* Spotted hyenas are probably the most well known example. The females are bigger and more aggressive than the males, and (usually, see below [[note]] Spotted hyenas are still classified as matriarchal because this is the most common situation even though exceptions exist.[[/note]] dominate them. Male hyenas will often rank even below female cubs. Higher-ranking hyenas take precedence over all food, so if there is not enough to go around, the males are often the first to go hungry, or eat the less choice foods such as bones and scraps. [[note]] Spotted hyenas are one of the rare animals that can eat and digest bones, though they seem to prefer organs and flesh [[/note]].

* ''Manga/{{Ooku}}'' is set in a {{Gendercide}} Japan where women have taken over all ruling roles due to the HeirClubForMen becoming impossible to maintain, and dominate society in general due to a five-to-one gender ratio. Despite this, men are on average treated better than women (and certainly better than women were treated pre-Gendercide): [[AppealToTradition Partially because no-one changed the society of pre-Gendercide Japan and just let women fill most of the roles held by men]] (female rulers take on male names and titles, and men still hold the monopoly on force as the concept of women samurai is considered unthinkable), and partially because of men's GenderRarityValue (with the man-killing Redface Pox killing 80% of men who catch it, they don't want more men to go out and catch it and die). [[spoiler:In the end, this means that when the Redface Pox is eliminated by vaccination, it takes less than three generations for patriarchy to reassert itself: Between stabilizing gender ratios and the Boshin War, the institutions are simply filled with men again. The victorious Meiji government [[InternalRetcon then rewrites Japan's history]], removing all traces of matriarchy and making all the female rulers men (and their male consorts women) posthumously as they consider the concept of women rulers shameful.]]

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The alternate US seems to be dominated by women, as they occupy both the top government and military positions. However, it doesn't exactly reverse social hierarchy in the US either, and there's no sign of explicit misandry. It seems to be a result of the fact that most witches we've seen are female, and so by association women in general obtained more power, thus falling into the Original Matriarchy category. It's also notable that black and Latina women are visibly equal with white ones. Nor does anyone care if a person is LGBT. The matrifocal commune Tally is from would be one by default as well, since no men live there. Except for this, it's not depicted as really too different from the modern US regarding fashion, government, technology etc. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, an in-universe rendition of ''America the Beautiful'' also replaces "brotherhood" with "sisterhood".

* ''Manga/{{Ooku}}'' is set in a {{Gendercide}} Japan where women (due to outnumbering men six-to-one) hold all the land and all the power, and are the favoured gender to inherit. Despite this men are on average treated better than women (and certainly better than women were pre-Gendercide), [[AppealToTradition partially because of old customs]] of pre-{{Gendercide}} Japan (for one, men still hold the monopoly on force, as the concept of female warriors is considered unthinkable), and also because of GenderRarityValue: With the man-killing Redface Pox killing 80% of men who catch it, they don't want more men to go out and catch it and die. [[spoiler:In the end, this means that when the Redface Pox is eliminated by vaccination, it takes less than three generations for the matriarchy to fall due to Japan's forceful opening by (male-dominated) Western powers and a resurgent (male) samurai caste. The victorious Meiji government then rewrites Japan's history, removing all traces of the matriarchy and making all the female rulers men (and their male consorts women) posthumously.]]

* ''Manga/{{Ooku}}'', although men are actually treated better than women, because (1) it's also a LadyLand and, y'know, [[GenderRarityValue limited sperm]], and (2) it's a LadyLand because of a {{Gendercide}} virus, so they don't want the guys to go out and catch it and die.

* ''Series/FirstKill'': Legacy vampire society is run by the female heads of their families, with the keepers of the Malkia (a kind of magical snake) as the preeminent family, led by their eldest woman. There is a ruling Legacy Council made up of the matriarchs which governs them all.

* Later depictions of the Amazons from Myth/GreekMythology, particularly by modern authors. Some say that the stories of the Amazons were based on Iranian tribes like the Scythians and Sarmatians, in which women fought alongside men and held political power.

* Spotted hyenas are probably the most well-known example. The females are bigger and more aggressive than the males, and (usually, see below) dominate them. Male hyenas will often rank even below female cubs. Higher-ranking hyenas take precedence over all food, so if there is not enough to go around, the males are often the first to go hungry or eat the less choice foods such as bones and scraps. [[note]]: Spotted hyenas are one of the rare animals that can eat and digest bones, though they seem to prefer organs and flesh [[/note]].
** Hyena society is complex enough strength and gender are not the only factors in determining a hyena's rank: social support, inheritance, and whether the individual hyena was born to the clan or is a dispersal from another clan play important roles. Newer research has found that in rare, exceptional circumstances, a male hyena can rule a clan. Hyenas often inherit their rank from their mother, so if a male fails to disperse (males usually disperse, so this is rare) and his matriarch mother happens to die, or disperse away from the clan (dispersing is rare for a female), he may "inherit the throne" from her and become the highest ranked in his clan.
** Occasionally, a male may also co-dominate (share a rank with) a female if he can successfully gain the necessary social support from her, or his mother and/or sisters.

** It's not all bad for males though, as females tend to prefer to mate with males that they have friendly relationships with, and a male's daughters will often be less aggressive towards him (despite that the father does not help raise them.)
** Spotted hyenas are still classified as matriarchal because this is the most common situation even if exceptions exist.

* Spotted hyenas. The females are bigger and more aggressive than the males, and (usally, see below) rule over them. Though it's not a complete flip, as the females still take care of the young alone without any help from the father.
** Hyena society is complex enough strength and gender are not the only factors in determining social rank: social support, inheritance, and whether the individual hyena was born to the clan or a dispersal from another clan play important roles. Newer research has found that in rare, exceptional circumstances, a male hyena can rule a clan. Hyenas often inherit their rank from their mother, so if a male fails to disperse (males usually disperse, so this is rare) and his matriarch mother happens to die, or disperse away from the clan (dispersing is rare for a female), he may "inherit the throne" from her and become leader of the clan.
** Occasionally, a male may also co-dominate (share a rank with) a female if he can successfully gain the necessary social support from his mother and/or sisters. Hyenas are still classified as matriarchal because this is the overall most common situation even if these exceptions exist.
* Jacanas (also known as lily trotters, or Jesus birds because they walk on lily pads and other vegetation floating on water with their ridiculously large feet) are a family of waterbirds in which females compete with each other for, and in some species, defend harems of smaller males. The males brood their eggs after they lay them and raise the chicks alone, and have special adaptions for parental care, like the ability to pick up chicks with their wings, something that the females can't do. Like lions, females will attempt infanticide on unrelated chicks, to free up the male to brood her chicks. The male may try to defend the chicks, usually unsuccessfully.

* Spotted hyenas. The females are bigger and more aggressive than the males, and rule over them. Though it's not a complete flip, as the females still take care of the young alone without any help from the father.

* ''Series/MotherlandFortSalem'': The alternate US seems to be dominated by women, as they occupy both the top government and military positions. However, it doesn't exactly reverse social hierarchy in the US either, and there's no sign of explicit misandry. It seems to be a result of the fact that most witches we've seen are female, and so by association women in general obtained more power, thus falling into the Original Matriarchy category. It's also notable that black and Latina women are visibly equal with white ones. Nor does anyone care if a person is LGBT. The matrifocal commune Tally is from would be one by default as well, since no men live there. Except for this, it's not depicted as really too different from the modern US regarding fashion, government, technology etc.

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': The protagonist Leon is reborn as a poor rural BlueBlood noble in a setting where men unmarried by 20 are considered a ChristmasCake and thus used as CannonFodder or just worked like a slave. The noble women as a whole are mostly characterized as SpoiledBrat RichBitch who [[GoldDigger only see men for their earning potential]], using their servants to bully. Married noblemen are [[HenPeckedHusband exploited by their wives]] who live opulently with their BeastMan Exclusive Servants in the capitol (with said servants being their de facto gigolos), and possibly other lovers, while the men usually take on TheMistress and live separately. The system came about due to a centralist GovernmentConspiracy to keep the lower noble's money near the capitol where it could be taxed, and to rein in their constant warlordism. Commoners are noted to be more normal. The system ends up being reformed partially due to its [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere disastrous effects on soldiers morale.]]

** Mewni, the home world of the title character. All of the rulers mentioned have been queens and Star's royal family history seems to be made up entirely of women. The only kings mentioned are Star's father and the husband of her ancestor, Eclipsa, but in both cases, they appear to be kings by marriage, with their wives having inherited the throne. Star's father also took her mother's surname upon their marriage and the all-female lineage carries the same surname, implying it is standard practice. Although it is shown that princesses/queens in Mewni are at least expected to act like "proper ladies" and generally follow many medieval etiquette norms, the queen appears to be the one with more authority (such as sitting on the Magical High Commission and leading the the Royal Council)and indeed, when Eclipsa was dethroned and [[spoiler: Moon went missing]] their respective daughters were immediately considered the new ruler, rather than their husbands.

* Equestria, in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', is a land ruled by [[GodEmperor God Empress]] Princess Celestia, who causes the cycle of day and night. Ponyville itself is run by a mare, who was democratically elected as the village mayor. Equestria is generally peaceful and harmonious... but it ''is'' ''My Little Pony''. Equestria, from what we've seen, appears to be a pretty gender-equal society, with both mares and stallions in a wide variety of roles.s

* The Dathomirians in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' lived in tribal clans segregated by gender, with the male Nightbrothers being subservient to the Nightsisters. Nightsisters' treatment of them was often cruel, relegating them to being their servants, bodyguards, and [[ConceiveAndKill breeding stock (until the Sisters feel their usefulness is at an end)]]. Although mostly obedient, the Nightbrothers often had a great kinship with one another and constantly sought to protect one another from the whims and demands of the Nightsisters.

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': The protagonist Leon is reborn as a poor rural BlueBlood noble in a setting where men unmarried by 20 are considered a ChristmasCake and thus used as CannonFodder or just worked like a slave. The noble women are mostly characterized as a SpoiledBrat GoldDigger who only see men for their earning potential, if not TheBully. Married noblemen are [[HenPeckedHusband exploited by their wives]] who live opulently with their BeastMan Exclusive Servants in the capitol (with said servants being de facto gigolo and/or thug), and possibly other lovers, while the men usually take on TheMistress and live separately. The system came about due to a centralist GovernmentConspiracy to keep the lower nobles in check and keep their money near the capitol where it could be taxed to rein in their constant warfare. Commoners are noted to be more normal. The system ends up being reformed partially due to its [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere disastrous effects on soldiers morale.]]

* The Dathomirians in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' lived in tribal clans segregated by gender, with the male Nightbrothers being subservient to the Nightsisters. Nightsisters' treatment of them was often cruel, relegating them to being their servants, bodyguards, and breeding stock. Although mostly obedient, the Nightbrothers often had a great kinship with one another and constantly sought to protect one another from the whims and demands of the Nightsisters.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' has an episode featuring a race of human-looking women who are Amazons and operate as an all female society. They seduce human men as sperm donors, and then the rapidly growing girl children must kill their father in a coming of age ritual. This causes conflict for Dean, when his daughter Emma comes looking to kill him.