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| Sevil Suleymani |
Sevil Suleymani explains that patriarchy is a social system that, like many other systems, serves certain groups. In an interview with Voice of America, the Southern women's rights activist discusses the characteristics of patriarchal societies, how religion and societal customs support patriarchy, and evaluates the roles of different groups, including women, in a patriarchal society.
"In general, when we talk about patriarchy, it is often assumed that men or the male gender are to blame... Many men, in this situation, try to defend themselves by saying, 'No, I'm not like that, I don’t act like that!' and try to prove that they are not against women. Therefore, the term patriarchy is often misunderstood as a system against women or as something that only harms women," she noted in her article.
In her interview with Voice of America, Suleymani elaborated on the points she raised in her article. She explained that patriarchy harms not only women but also men, as it imposes heavy responsibilities on them.
"Patriarchy starts from the smallest structure of society, the family. The system defines different roles for men and women. The man is seen as the head of the house, and the woman's sexuality is considered to be at his service... In this situation, the man takes on heavy responsibilities to fulfill his duties and protect the family, which leads to both mental and physical difficulties for him," said the cultural activist, originally from the Mugan region of Southern Azerbaijan.
"Since women are raised within patriarchal norms, they pass on these ideas to their children," said Sevil Suleymani. She believes that new norms must be introduced into society to combat this system.
According to her, societies like Southern Azerbaijan should take advantage of the experiences of both Western countries and neighboring nations in this regard.
As an example, the cultural activist pointed to Turkey, stating that simply establishing a secular (worldly) governance system and separating religion from politics will not eliminate the patriarchal system, nor will it fully ensure women's rights.
"The elimination of religious laws plays a positive role. However, this does not completely eradicate the patriarchal system; it only reduces its severity," she added.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Sevil Süleymani: Patriarxal cəmiyyətdə kişilər də basqı altında olur