Kyriarchy

The System Behind the System

Most people know the word patriarchy—a social order where men hold primary power. But there’s a broader, more precise term for the overlapping systems that shape our lives: kyriarchy.

Coined by feminist scholar Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, kyriarchy refers to an interconnected system of domination in which multiple hierarchies—gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, citizenship, and more—overlap and reinforce one another. Instead of one axis of power, it’s the whole lattice.

In everyday conversation, the term works much like patriarchy, but with a wider lens. You can use it to describe dynamics where someone is reproducing or benefiting from the larger, layered structure of power—not just gendered dominance, but the full mix of social advantages.

Think of it this way:
Patriarchy explains one hierarchy.
Kyriarchy explains the entire dynamic.

It’s the word for when a moment, a relationship, or a conversation isn’t just shaped by sexism, but by the whole system that decides who gets heard, who gets centered, and who gets dismissed.