Gynarchism

Gynarchism is a political philosophy that promotes the rule of women and the dominance of females over males. It is a radical offshoot of feminism and is credited with being the current ideology of the state of Kerlile. Gynarchism calls for the removal of men from all positions of power to be replaced by the rule of women and a matriarchal system of government.

Etymology

Gynarchy originates from the Greek root gyn meaning "women" and archēs meaning "rule" or "government".

History

The term was first coined in the 1930s to describe the system of government implemented in Kerlile by the Council of Kerlile. The term was later adopted by the Council themselves in order to describe their ideology; after the Council began to advocate for female-only rule as an end goal, rather than the means to the destruction of patriarchy as supported by the founding mothers of Kerlile. The difference between gynarchy and the founders' ideology is discussed at length in the banned book Gynarchy, and the Unmaking of a Dream whose author was executed for treason.

In Kerlile

Gynarchy is best known as the ideology of the state of Kerlile. Similar to radical feminism, gynarchy calls for an end to patriarchy in all its forms and blames the root cause of women's oppression on the patriarchal system; while also advocating for replacing patriarchal rule with matriarchal rule.

In Kerlile, supporters are represented by the Women's Party of Kerlile. Supporters of the party, and the ideology, generally believe that the post-patriarchal society created in Kerlile in the 1920s should be the aim of nations, and that attempts to reform the Kerlian system will lead to the return of patriarchy. Further offshoots of gynarchism have also developed in Kerlile, with newly-legal political parties such as the Gynarcha-Socialist Party being founded in 2023.

Around the world

Numerous gynarchist political parties have been formed across the International Democratic Union in various countries since the foundation of Kerlile as a state in 1924. These include:

• Feminist Party (Lauchenoiria)
• Women Rising (Zongongia)
• Women's Party of Slokais

Variants

There have been numerous variants of gynarchism developed over the decades. Gynarchy alone does not specify an economic system; with both socialist and capitalist gynarchists in existence. Supporters of gynarchy also vary in their extremes; from "moderate" democratic gynarchists who believe in giving male citizens all rights short of those to hold public office and vote; to the violent ideology of the Free Women's Army of Southern Acadia which advocated for the state-mandated execution of men about age 10, and the enforcing of population controls and tight restrictions of the male population in Greater Acadia.

Democratic gynarchism

Democratic gynarchism is an ideology that believes in setting up a democratic state where representatives and leaders are chosen by the people - but only women are allowed to hold office and/or vote. Different variants can wish to proscribe men from both, or only one, of these two political rights. Other than gender-based suffrage restrictions, democratic gynarchists believe all other elements of political organisation should be done through a democratic system.

Eco-gynarchism

Eco-gynarchism ties in environmentalism with women's rule, believing that female custodianship over the world is necessary in order to tackle climate change. Eco-gynarchists are focused on green politics, the preservation of the environment and the tackling of climate change, and believe that rule by men has caused the destruction in the first place, and only rule by women can prevent further damage.

Gynarcha-futurism

Gynarcha-futurists advocate for a "female-ruled technocracy", where right to rule is based on the expertise of the individual in question; as long as they are a woman. Gynarcha-futurists tend to be more inclusive of trans women than other variants of gynarchist due to their propensity to also support policies that verge in the direction of transhumanism and the rejection of the human body in favour of technology.

Gynarcha-socialism

Adherents of gynarcha-socialism subscribe to the political and social ideology of gynarchy while adding in the economic ideology of socialism. They believe in a state ruled by women where the means of production are owned by the community as a whole. Gynarcha-communism also exists, but is less popular. In Kerlile, the Gynarcha-Socialist Party is the primary political vehicle for those subscribing to this ideology or close variants.

Criticism

Critics of the ideology say that Kerlian society is founded on misandry and reverse sexism, with matriarchy being as bad a concept as patriarchy. Feminists outside of Kerlile who are opposed to the ideology say that Kerlile has developed new traditions of oppression in the place of the old.