There is a reason that patriarchy exists and has therefore been perceived as a dominant social regime in ancient societies, modern societies of today, and every time period in history that came in between. It has been and is most definitely a strong regime that blindfolds both men and women, granting the shorter end of the privilege stick to women. Men, according to the feminist paradigm, have limited themselves in both mind and spirit from the patriarchal regime in which they govern. The reasons why patriarchy exists, how it is maintained, and its implications for women and society, are the prevalent themes consistent throughout feminist literature. Dorothy Smith, author of The Conceptual Practices of Power, maintains that the modes and operations of knowing are solely governed by male-defined institutions and practices which are based on the male experience, so that women may only come to know and understand life, and define their experiences through the male gaze. Similarly, Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique, identifies the effect of the patriarchal blindfold on women. Friedan stipulates that the mysterious depression that women lived with was unrecognizable because women's experiences were crafted and allocated to women through patriarchal means. In The Dialectic of Sex, Shulamith Firestone argues that "the end goal of the feminist movement must be.not just the elimination of male privilege but of the sex distinction itself" (Firestone 19). Opposingly, Zillah Eisenstein positions herself in favor of ideological and political formulations of sexual relations. All of these women portray many insights into feminist theory, some putting forth a more realistic position, others presenting a weaker analysis of female oppression. Friedan's article is lacking entirely of any substance - a substance in which her other feminist compatriots provided bountifully. Friedan's article is set up beside Smith's article, so as to emphasis Friedan's weaker arguments.
