The Inner Patriarch

The Inner Patriarch – The Hidden Force That Holds Women Back


The Inner Patriarch is the part of us that holds the rules and values of the long-standing patriarchal system in which we all live. He (it’s a male energy pattern) was discovered by Sidra Stone, who explores in her book The Shadow King how this powerful archetypal inner self works. This article introduces you to the Inner Patriarch and how this largely unconscious force affects all of our lives. 



E ven though many cultures have changed over the last few decades due to feminism, and many people – both women and men, particularly in the West, have greater flexibility in their life choices, many of us are not able to enjoy those choices fully because of the Inner Patriarch. This archetype causes feelings of guilt, confusion and self-criticism, and also judgment about other people’s choices and their judgments about ours.

There’s also the fact that outward equality does not really exist anyway (still no equal pay in many countries, limited and expensive childcare, lack of female representation in government and on boards, different expectations of men and women in regards to unpaid domestic labour, etc), but the focus of this article is the inner process that causes the dissatisfaction to occur and that allows the patriarchal rules to continue to be passed down through the generations.

The Inner Patriarch is an Inner Self

The Inner Patriarch is a self, in the same way that the Pleaser, the Inner Critic, the Inner Responsible Parent, the Rational Mind and the Vulnerable Inner Child are selves. Our selves are the fundamental building blocks that make up our psyche. Major selves such as this are archetypes.

Some selves are included in our personality, which means we use them in our life and they become a part of our identity. Other selves are disowned or unconscious. Some selves are with us early on and others come in at different stages of our lives.

In many women – even in ardent feminists – one of the unconscious selves is the Inner Patriarch.

He is interesting because he is not really disowned in the same way that, for example, your spontaneous self might be disowned if you are identified with having control over your life in every way. Sidra Stone describes the Inner Patriarch as living in the shadows because even if he is not a part of your primary self system, he is still lurking nearby, influencing you in all areas of your life.

How the Inner Patriarch Judges Us and Other Women

One of the ways the Inner Patriarch affects women is to pass judgment about everything we do – from his patriarchal perspective. So the negativity you feel about your choices as a woman comes from your internal Inner Patriarch.

For example, if you are a successful and powerful businesswoman, who does not play a traditionally feminine role, you might sometimes feel judgmental of women whose only work is mothering. Or at least you might not respect them as much as women who are in the workforce.

You might also criticize yourself if you find that sometimes you are attracted to more feminine pursuits or modes of self-expression.

If this describes you then it indicates that you have identified with the values of your Inner Patriarch, which are basically traditional male values. Each time a more feminine part of your personality emerges, your Inner Patriarch disapproves and so you stop that part from having expression. Or you express it but also dismiss it as not being as important as your ‘serious’ work.

Another example is if you juggle work and family. This should be a perfect situation as it allows women to express many parts of themselves, from the nurturing motherly aspects through to the the business and creative aspects. But the Inner Patriarch disapproves and his disapproval is what you feel if you feel guilty when you leave your children in someone else’s care while you do other work. Inside us he is saying ‘if you were a proper woman you would stay home and care of your children full time’. The contradiction is that if you did do that, he wouldn’t respect you because his underlying belief is that mothering is not as valuable as other work.

So the Inner Patriarch respects you if you are in the workforce as you are doing ‘masculine’ work, but at the same time he believes that because you are a woman you shouldn’t really be there. Damned if you do; damned if you don’t.

Another way the Inner Patriarch is apparent in women is if you are a full-time mother and you judge women who work full-time, or even part-time, outside the home. The Inner Patriarch in this case is the voice you hear praising you for being a ‘real’ woman and staying home, while judging or being concerned about those women who do not.

The problem with this situation is that although the Inner Patriarch is happy that you are at home with the children, he does not place much value on what you do, just as in the previous example. He believes parenting is natural for women and so is not actually work. He will respect you only when/if you go back to ‘real work’ once your children are older. All mothers know that mothering is hard work, but our Inner Patriarchs don’t believe it, and so we also find ourselves doubting it, possibly feeling as if there is something wrong with us for finding parenting so exhausting.

Both women and men have this patriarchal aspect of the human psyche within them but it causes most difficulty for women.

The Inner Patriarch in Men

In men the Inner Patriarch is often an integrated part of their psyche. If men follow the patriarch’s rules, they feel they are being ‘real’ men and this allows them to fit into the existing social structures and to succeed in them. It infuses them with a sense of power.

It is supportive of most men because it values traditionally male qualities, which many men identify with to a large extent. And our social and political structures support the expression of traditional masculinity – and value it. Men who are more feminine are judged by their Inner Patriarch in a similar way to how women feel judged, as are masculine men who sometimes express the feminine aspects of themselves.

Becoming Conscious of the Inner Patriarch

Now just as with any inner self, it is both eye-opening and empowering for both women and men to become aware of this patriarchal aspect of their nature.

When women become conscious of their Inner Patriarch, they no longer need to feel victim to his judgments about themselves and others. They can listen to his concerns and deal with them as they see fit.

When men become aware of their Inner Patriarch they realise how their perception of women and of themselves has been affected by him, and how he has influenced their self-expression, their relationships, the policies they form in government, the legislation they pass, and the culture they create in the work environment.

So it is certainly not a self I would ignore if I were a man and I wanted a world to live in that valued all aspects of my nature and those of my partner and children.

By discovering your unconscious patriarchal rules and separating from them consciously, you can save yourself much confusion and negative feeling about yourself and others. And you can be in a position to make better choices about your life that consider not only the patriarchal values that are still so ingrained in us at a deep level but also more feminine-friendly values that support the feminine aspects of our humanity.

The Inner Patriarch’s Positive Motivations

One thing to realise about the Inner Patriarch is that although his rules and judgments are restrictive, deep down his motivation is good. He truly believes that women are weaker than men and therefore need men to protect them. He is afraid of women’s sexuality and sensuality and of how that affects men. So he tries to keep women protected and behaving in a ‘proper’ way so that they will not be hurt. He believes that by keeping women in the home and away from the harshness of the outside world they will be safe.

But what he does not realise is that if women could integrate both their feminine and masculine power, and could participate in the world equally, the world would automatically become a safer place. If the feminine aspects of human nature were available and acceptable for us all to express, the world would become a far more harmonious and balanced place.

When you first discover the Patriarch within you, it might seem as if he is an enemy, but once you understand his concerns and can see them with objectivity, then he can become a supportive and caring force that you call on when you choose, rather than having him rule you from the shadows.

How I’ve Dealt with the Inner Patriarch While Raising My Daughters

Since learning about the Inner Patriarch and not wanting to pass his rule system on to my own daughters, I have tried to be attentive to how he operates.

I’ve discovered that one thing my Inner Patriarch expects is more maturity from my girls about things like politeness and self-care issues than he does of their male friends. I can hear his voice saying things like ‘They are boys, they can’t help being messy with their toys and their food, but little girls should put their toys away when they are finished playing with them and they should eat tidily at the table.’

And although he is proud of my daughters’ achievements and abilities, if there is a boy playing with them, he thinks it’s more important to praise the boy than my girls. One time, when my eldest daughter was five and was playing with a male friend, building towers with blocks, I could see that she had built an equally good tower to the boy’s (or better!). I could feel within myself a force to praise the boy’s tower more, as though it were not as important for her to be praised about this. Yet whenever she is on her own or with female friends, then I don’t feel this same pressure to compliment her with any less enthusiasm.

I would describe myself as a feminist and being extremely supportive and encouraging of my daughters with their achievements yet this Inner Patriarch has views that differ from my own. What I do when I feel his presence is listen into what his concerns are, to what his anxieties are. I can then consider these more consciously and decide how I will act.

Regarding the block towers, my decision was to praise my daughter as vocally and openly as I did her male friend. Yet when I did this I felt, and had to live with, my Inner Patriarch inside me being concerned that I was encouraging my daughter to stand out more than the boy – something he perceived as negative – and, funnily enough, he was worried that the boy might not feel valued enough if he received only equal praise to my daughter, for doing something traditionally masculine.

Maybe the next step for feminism and male/female equality is the exploration of what the Inner Patriarch fears will happen if males are not valued more highly than females. What is it about being equal that is so frightening?

Ps: There’s also an inner self called the Inner Matriarch. I’ll write a piece on her at some stage so if you’d like to be notified when that’s published sign up for my free ebook and stay subscribed to my list.

Get Sidra Stone’s book The Shadow King from Apple Books.

My book Enlightenment Through Motherhood also explores how the Inner Patriarch affects us, by limiting how we experience and express our spirituality.

Enlightenment Through Motherhood is available from AmazonApple BooksBarnes & NobleKoboSmashwords

Enlightenment Through Motherhood

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Which Self are You? Meet Your Inner SelvesMeet Your Selves

This entertaining guide introduces you to 44 selves. As you get to know them, you’ll discover which selves are primary in you, which are disowned, and how they all affect your life experience.

About Which Self are You?

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