This Is Not Fantasy: The Reality of Gynarchy and Female-Led Societies
There could be readers who say that the idea of a female-led society like gynarchy doesn’t make sense, and the events described in my book, Judge Grace, and especially in its sequel, Queen Grace, are unrealistic because we live in a “modern” world where such extreme forms of societal control don’t exist. But this is not true. In my research for creating the Grace Series, I examined six examples from the current world that mirror the systems and dynamics in my story. These examples show that the themes in Judge Grace and Queen Grace are not just the stuff of fantasy—they are rooted in the realities of current world affairs.
Iran: Gender Control and Public Surveillance
In Iran, women are subjected to strict gender-based laws that enforce their subjugation. The mandatory hijab law requires women to cover their hair and bodies in public, and those who violate this law face public humiliation, fines, and even imprisonment. The morality police patrol the streets in vehicles, stopping women to inspect their clothing and behavior, ensuring compliance with these laws ([1]).
In Queen Grace, the gynarchic society takes this surveillance to another level. Drones fill the skies, scanning for men who dare to wear clothes in public. Just as the morality police in Iran stop women for not wearing the hijab, the drones in Sovrana identify and punish men for wearing clothes. This parallel highlights how systems of control, regardless of the gender in power, use surveillance and public shaming to enforce conformity.
China: Re-Education Camps and Certification
In China, the government has implemented re-education camps to control and suppress minority groups, particularly the Uyghur Muslims. Over a million Uyghurs have been detained in these camps, where they are subjected to brainwashing, forced labor, and cultural erasure ([2]).
In Judge Grace, a similar system exists for men who wish to enter Sovrana from the Barrens, the ghetto where they live. To gain access, men must undergo a certification process in re-education camps, where they are indoctrinated into accepting their subservient roles. Additionally, they must find an owner from Sovrana who will take responsibility for them. This parallel shows how authoritarian regimes use re-education and control mechanisms to enforce compliance and maintain power over marginalized groups.
Nazi Germany: Economic Control and Public Humiliation
In Nazi Germany, Jews were systematically stripped of their economic rights, including the ability to hold money, own property, or work in certain professions. They were dehumanized, labeled as inferior, and subjected to public spectacles like forced marches and humiliations ([3]).
In Queen Grace, these dynamics are amplified. Men are forbidden from holding money and are reduced to subservient roles, such as cleaning, construction, or serving women. They are dehumanized, treated as property, and subjected to public shaming—like being caged in public spaces or paraded in humiliating displays. The economic control and public humiliation in Sovrana mirror the tactics used in Nazi Germany, showing how oppressive systems use these tools to enforce power and suppress dissent.
Saudi Arabia: Male Guardianship and Ownership
In Saudi Arabia, the male guardianship system gives men significant control over women’s lives. Women are required to have a male guardian—father, husband, or son—to make decisions about education, travel, marriage, and even healthcare ([4]).
This is an example of patriarchy, the opposite of gynarchy, where men hold primary power. In Judge Grace, a similar system exists in the gynarchic society of Sovrana. Men cannot live in Sovrana unless they are owned by a woman, who becomes responsible for them. If a man is un-owned, he is sent back to the Barrens, the ghetto outside Sovrana. This ownership system mirrors the male guardianship in Saudi Arabia, showing how power structures, regardless of gender, can be used to limit individual freedoms and enforce control.
Afghanistan (Under the Taliban): Political Exclusion and Monarchy
Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, women’s rights are severely restricted. Women are excluded from political participation, barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, and restricted from working in most professions. They are required to wear burqas and are not allowed to travel without a male relative ([5]).
This is another example of patriarchy, where men dominate all aspects of society. In Judge Grace, men still retain some rights, such as the ability to vote, which makes Sovrana’s system less restrictive than the Taliban’s control over women.
However, in Queen Grace, Grace transforms Sovrana into a full-blown monarchy, abolishing democracy entirely. No one, regardless of gender, can vote anymore. This escalation mirrors the Taliban’s complete exclusion of women from political power, showing how oppressive systems tighten their grip over time.
Maasai Society: Traditional Roles and Subservience
In traditional Maasai society in Kenya and Tanzania, men hold all leadership roles in the community, including chiefs and elders. Women are excluded from decision-making processes and are primarily responsible for domestic duties, such as childcare and cooking. Men control livestock, the primary source of wealth, and make all economic decisions ([6]).
This is yet another example of patriarchy, where men dominate political and economic power. In Judge Grace, the roles are reversed, but the dynamics remain similar. Men are excluded from leadership roles and cannot hold firms or offices. Instead, they are reduced to subservient positions, responsible for housework, chores, cleaning women’s shoes, and washing floors on all fours. The parallels between the Maasai’s patriarchal system and the gynarchic society in Sovrana show how power structures can enforce strict gender roles, regardless of which gender holds power.
Conclusion: This Is Not Fantasy
The idea of a female-led society like gynarchy may seem extreme, but it is not unrealistic. The real-world examples of Iran, China, Nazi Germany, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan under the Taliban, and the Maasai society show that systems of control, whether based on gender, religion, or race, are not only possible—they are happening today. By drawing parallels between these examples and the events in the Grace Series, particularly in Judge Grace and its sequel Queen Grace, I aim to show that these books are not pure fantasy. They are rooted in the realities of current world affairs, and in some cases, such systems are even imminent.
Sources
[1] Amnesty International. “Iran: Women Face Harassment and Arrest for Not Wearing the Hijab.”
[2] Human Rights Watch. “China’s Re-Education Camps in Xinjiang.”
[3] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Nazi Economic System.”
[4] Human Rights Watch. “Saudi Arabia: Male Guardianship System.”
[5] BBC News. “Afghanistan: Taliban Roll Back Women’s Rights.”
[6] National Geographic. “Maasai Society: Gender Roles and Traditions.”
Iran: Gender Control and Public Surveillance
In Iran, women are subjected to strict gender-based laws that enforce their subjugation. The mandatory hijab law requires women to cover their hair and bodies in public, and those who violate this law face public humiliation, fines, and even imprisonment. The morality police patrol the streets in vehicles, stopping women to inspect their clothing and behavior, ensuring compliance with these laws ([1]).
In Queen Grace, the gynarchic society takes this surveillance to another level. Drones fill the skies, scanning for men who dare to wear clothes in public. Just as the morality police in Iran stop women for not wearing the hijab, the drones in Sovrana identify and punish men for wearing clothes. This parallel highlights how systems of control, regardless of the gender in power, use surveillance and public shaming to enforce conformity.
China: Re-Education Camps and Certification
In China, the government has implemented re-education camps to control and suppress minority groups, particularly the Uyghur Muslims. Over a million Uyghurs have been detained in these camps, where they are subjected to brainwashing, forced labor, and cultural erasure ([2]).
In Judge Grace, a similar system exists for men who wish to enter Sovrana from the Barrens, the ghetto where they live. To gain access, men must undergo a certification process in re-education camps, where they are indoctrinated into accepting their subservient roles. Additionally, they must find an owner from Sovrana who will take responsibility for them. This parallel shows how authoritarian regimes use re-education and control mechanisms to enforce compliance and maintain power over marginalized groups.
Nazi Germany: Economic Control and Public Humiliation
In Nazi Germany, Jews were systematically stripped of their economic rights, including the ability to hold money, own property, or work in certain professions. They were dehumanized, labeled as inferior, and subjected to public spectacles like forced marches and humiliations ([3]).
In Queen Grace, these dynamics are amplified. Men are forbidden from holding money and are reduced to subservient roles, such as cleaning, construction, or serving women. They are dehumanized, treated as property, and subjected to public shaming—like being caged in public spaces or paraded in humiliating displays. The economic control and public humiliation in Sovrana mirror the tactics used in Nazi Germany, showing how oppressive systems use these tools to enforce power and suppress dissent.
Saudi Arabia: Male Guardianship and Ownership
In Saudi Arabia, the male guardianship system gives men significant control over women’s lives. Women are required to have a male guardian—father, husband, or son—to make decisions about education, travel, marriage, and even healthcare ([4]).
This is an example of patriarchy, the opposite of gynarchy, where men hold primary power. In Judge Grace, a similar system exists in the gynarchic society of Sovrana. Men cannot live in Sovrana unless they are owned by a woman, who becomes responsible for them. If a man is un-owned, he is sent back to the Barrens, the ghetto outside Sovrana. This ownership system mirrors the male guardianship in Saudi Arabia, showing how power structures, regardless of gender, can be used to limit individual freedoms and enforce control.
Afghanistan (Under the Taliban): Political Exclusion and Monarchy
Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, women’s rights are severely restricted. Women are excluded from political participation, barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, and restricted from working in most professions. They are required to wear burqas and are not allowed to travel without a male relative ([5]).
This is another example of patriarchy, where men dominate all aspects of society. In Judge Grace, men still retain some rights, such as the ability to vote, which makes Sovrana’s system less restrictive than the Taliban’s control over women.
However, in Queen Grace, Grace transforms Sovrana into a full-blown monarchy, abolishing democracy entirely. No one, regardless of gender, can vote anymore. This escalation mirrors the Taliban’s complete exclusion of women from political power, showing how oppressive systems tighten their grip over time.
Maasai Society: Traditional Roles and Subservience
In traditional Maasai society in Kenya and Tanzania, men hold all leadership roles in the community, including chiefs and elders. Women are excluded from decision-making processes and are primarily responsible for domestic duties, such as childcare and cooking. Men control livestock, the primary source of wealth, and make all economic decisions ([6]).
This is yet another example of patriarchy, where men dominate political and economic power. In Judge Grace, the roles are reversed, but the dynamics remain similar. Men are excluded from leadership roles and cannot hold firms or offices. Instead, they are reduced to subservient positions, responsible for housework, chores, cleaning women’s shoes, and washing floors on all fours. The parallels between the Maasai’s patriarchal system and the gynarchic society in Sovrana show how power structures can enforce strict gender roles, regardless of which gender holds power.
Conclusion: This Is Not Fantasy
The idea of a female-led society like gynarchy may seem extreme, but it is not unrealistic. The real-world examples of Iran, China, Nazi Germany, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan under the Taliban, and the Maasai society show that systems of control, whether based on gender, religion, or race, are not only possible—they are happening today. By drawing parallels between these examples and the events in the Grace Series, particularly in Judge Grace and its sequel Queen Grace, I aim to show that these books are not pure fantasy. They are rooted in the realities of current world affairs, and in some cases, such systems are even imminent.
Sources
[1] Amnesty International. “Iran: Women Face Harassment and Arrest for Not Wearing the Hijab.”
[2] Human Rights Watch. “China’s Re-Education Camps in Xinjiang.”
[3] United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Nazi Economic System.”
[4] Human Rights Watch. “Saudi Arabia: Male Guardianship System.”
[5] BBC News. “Afghanistan: Taliban Roll Back Women’s Rights.”
[6] National Geographic. “Maasai Society: Gender Roles and Traditions.”
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