This is me and here command me

There is a company directed exclusively by a queen, which has been going on for over 100 million years and extends throughout the planet. No, as you can imagine he has nothing to do with England, even if the hymn of sex pistols still suits them. It is the company, we dare to say matriarchal, of bee.

The supreme head is precisely the queen, dominant member and - literally - mother of all the bees in the hive. It is the only female who is fertilized and who is therefore able to lay eggs and consequently preserve the colony. The queen bee is also responsible for regulating temperature and humidity within the hive and defense against external threats. Inside the colony there is a well -defined hierarchy and the workers bees (also all females) work together to carry out the various necessary activities. Perhaps for irony of fate, in such a long -lived company, the fires, that is, the males, do not have at all dominant role: they are smaller and do not have the sting, they cannot therefore defend the hive. Their task is mainly to fertilize the queen, sometimes to cure the little ones and 'clean' the cells in which eggs are laid. The rest of the time literally spend it wandering because, unlike workers' females, they are not for genetics capable of bottled nectar and pollen.

Matriarchy, in general

Returning to speak more generally, matriarchy - as easy to guess - is a form of society in which the women play a dominant role in the family, in the community and in politics. They hold their final decision -making power on important issues concerning the family or community. Matriarchy has always been at the center of studies and debates and the positions on it are still very conflicting. Some recognize you a model of fair and harmonious companies than others and above all to Patriarchate, while others argue that it is less efficient and less suitable for promoting economic and social development. Others, on the other hand, argue that, like bees, matriarchy among humans has developed well before the patriarchate: in fact there is a debate on the possibility that the matriarchy was already present in Neolithic. However, the tests in support of this thesis are still few and controversial.

Matriarchal companies and where to find them

Matriarchal companies have been observed everywhere, but are more commonly associated with indigenous and tribal societies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. However, some scholars argue that matriarchy has also been present in some ancient companies in Europe. Although there is no real official list, here are some of the most well -known and interesting matriarchal realities in the world:

• Umoja, Kenya: In this society the presence of men is totally prohibited. All the women of Samburu who have suffered rapes, forced marriages, domestic abuses and genital mutilations live in Umboja.
• The khasi, india: that of the Khasi is considered the greatest matrilinear culture in the world. Their population is over 1 million people and is guided by women. Here the children take the surname of the mother and the birth of a child is always a reason for great celebrations, while the birth of a male is simply accepted.
• Mosuo people, China: As with bees, here the head of everything is matriarch that deals with most issues including money, work, relationships between people. A curiosity: here husband and wife live in separate houses and are seen only at night.
• I Navajo, USA: In the past they were traditionally a matriarchal people. The head of the family was always the woman 'the first person to wake up and the last to fall asleep every day'. Lignage, goods and properties had generally passed through the maternal side of the family. Today their society is now almost totally free of hierarchy. Although matriarchy has often been described as a system based on cooperation and mutual support, in which women work together for the common well -being of the family and the community, some critics recognize in matriarchal societies gender inequalities, despite the intake of roles of leadership by women. For other scholars, matriarchate remains only a form of resistance to patriarchate and related oppressive practices, rather than as an alternative form of social organization.

Bonus track: the Leo king is a hoax

In addition to bees, the animal kingdom is full of matriarchal societies: elephants, bombs, orche, lemur and ants are just a few examples. Maybe saying this we will ruin your childhood a little, but you have to know: The lion is not the king of the jungle. It's lionesse, in fact, to be in charge of the survival of the entire pack (including males). They are the ones who hunt and pursue the prey as well as to guarantee the development of the offspring and to have 'decision -making power' on what concerns the pack.

Emilia Bano