could you give me some advice on worldbuliding gender roles? trying to write a matriarchy
Sure, of course! :D
Worldbuilding: Gender Roles
There's many interesting ways to take gender roles in worldbuilding, from matriarchs to patriarchs to other alike.
I do have some other posts going into things related to gender roles that can also be of help.
Wedding Ceremonies
Gender & Sexuality
Head of Household
Typically gender roles are centered in the household the strongest, following a head of the household, or head of the family. Just in real life we see this change from culture to culture. Even patriarchal structures can be drastically different from one another, such as nuclear family of the United States versus the Salaryman of East Asia.
Their placement as leader in the family, often represents their role in society as well (bosses, political figures, decision makers, etc.) The same goes for the other shoe.
What values does this society hold that makes a certain gender be more upheld in familial hierarchies? Is it how mothers are seen as strong, nurturing, and good caretakers for their ability to produce children? Is it how one gender has historically worked in difficult workforces or fought as soldiers? Was it something in the anatomy?
This can be even more wild when it comes to fantasy races, and the differences amongst their genders.
Societal Expectations
With gender roles comes societal expectations: pressures that hold over the heads of children and adults alike.
These expectations can be as small as expectant personality traits, to the biggest decisions in one's life. Who are the soldiers? Who are the housekeepers? Who does the cleaning? Who rears the children?
Such expectations would be suggested to people all throughout their life through society, from school, to work, to even what one does in their free time.
How these expectations came about can be both logical and irrational. Many of these social ideals can originate from historical events, religious beliefs, spiritual practices, traditions, and even malicious influence.
Marriage & Love
For awhile in the United States it was customary for the man to ask out the woman, simply because of gender roles. Nowadays has those rigid roles have faded away, its a more equal playing field.
The more rigid of gender roles the more there is opportunity for blind spots of darkness in romance, from heteronormative societies, to domestic abuse, to more.
This opens opportunities for things like arranged marriages, dowries, extravagant wedding ceremonies, and favoritism amongst children.
Who gets to say what in a relationship can be dependent on gender roles? Why in more equal societies it simply won't matter...
Employment & Housework
What are these gender roles found in the workforce? Are certain people not allowed to even work in particular workforces? Is promotions more difficult to get for one gender or another? What happens if things suddenly change?
The goes for things inside the home, especially childcare. Are certain chores and duties split amongst the members of a relationship? Are children expected to take certain duties in the house as they grow older? What kind of things does breadwinner have to do when they return home?
Beauty Standards
Beauty standards, although seemingly random, often times can also reflect gender roles and cultural standards. They change alongside culture, reflecting ideas good and bad of the current times.
Although not everyone bends to beauty standards, they still remain important and catch a variety of people within their clutches.
American values of the current day overtly hyper-masculine man with a square jaw so sharp it requires plastic surgery, and abs so defined they can only be achieved through severe dehydration is also an overrepresentation of American values upheld in toxic masculinity, such as physical strength, sharpness/rigidness, with a sprinkle of racism.
In the meanwhile the East Asian standard of the submissive wife is can be found in someone so pale they never leave the house, so skinny they cannot fight back, and so thin they have the will put themselves through torture for those around them, therefor potentially their own lover.
These extreme beauty standards though don't really at all mean what the actual common person finds attractive.
Despite how frequent the skinny Asian beauty is in China, the endearing image of the Chinese mom is one with weight and a happy round face. While the ideal man of plenty of American's includes a beer-belly, hair all over, and puppy eyes.
This doesn't even get into how these very tropes of beauty standards can subvert in queer cultures...
Discrimination & Prejudice
With rigid gender roles comes extreme ideals, and usually comes discrimination.
Due to how prevalent sexism is both ways alone, better yet towards women all around the world, about everyone knows how it goes. I'm sure everyone's heard a sexist comment at least once.
These things can also hurt cisgender, transgender, and genderqueer people alike when it comes to those who feel need a to incite their gender role expectations onto others.
In a society that is more friendly, lenient, and queer allied; hopefully rampant sexism is a thing of the past.
Genderqueer Roles
In societies of ancient times and cultures long since damaged by imperialism, it hasn't been uncommon for genderqueer people to be seen as sacred or more magical in some kind of way. While strictly heteronormative cultures see such queerness as an anomaly.
Designing gender roles in worldbuilding can apply to queer genders as well. One of my favorite pieces of fanfictions that experiments with this is Growing Up Gerudo, a comic following an AU of Legend of Zelda.
In my NMA worldbuilding series, the Irisians of the north operate on six primary genders.
Gender roles aren't necessarily more lenient despite the upheld values of queerness in Irisian culture, but instead lean heavily on anyone who is a cisgender mobub, as they are seen as the most magically adept for spiritual reasons since they present with bigenitelia, while also having the preferred gendered body type to Irisian values.
Mobub are expected to be the leader, excel in academics and workforces alike, and rear children one way or another. Meanwhile the opposing gender, Jadl (androgynous with a lack of sexual organs), are expected to be supporters to others, especially the mobub.
Either way I just wanted to say that you can do this gender roles stuff with worldbuilt fantasy species and gender queerness too...
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Bold what applies - italicize sometimes - strike out never. (Bonus): Color the ones that especially fit. Tag some friends to play along!
SUN • egotistical • melted wax wings and fingers • stretching sunburnt skin • the most generous soul • blood in the fruit • halos • anger on fire • high vitality • thunderous laughter • is pride really a sin? • halogenic aura
MERCURY • expansion of the mind • silver-tongued • an everlasting wanderer • polyglot • high dexterity • handwritten letters • innately critical • en vogue • eyes in the trees • hidden libraries • there’s always room for improvement
VENUS • in love with strangers • iridescent waters • love potions for your mirror • selfless devotion • shattering crystal • seafoam upon sand • the golden ratio • drowning in your own passion • material value & high principles • luring • plush lips
EARTH • fresh springs • tree hugger • we can start again tomorrow • a blazing rainforest • respects survival of the fittest • nature’s adversity • lazy bones • constantly evolving • flowers sprouting from wounds • a granite altar • fossilized remains
MOON • illusory • silver shimmer off the ocean • secrets and gossip • cycles of reincarnation • a crybaby • physically ethereal • shared glances with a stranger • cat eyes • mistrusting their intuition • fear is a prison • ornate magic wands
MARS • healthy competition • attraction and repulsion • magma and rubies • a blade being forged • wrath wrath wrath • malefic • intense eye contact • cannon fodder & fireworks • blood floods • copper taste on your tongue
JUPITER • red robes and a suit of armor • beacon of stability • leader by birth • thunderbolts and lightning • guilty but can’t stop • secret rich kid • golden touch golden tears • innate optimist • failure isn’t an option • constantly reaching for more • unfinished symphonies
SATURN • traditional • overbearing energy • a sculptor of reality • this existence is a karmic one • has a heart it’s just.. way down deep • law, order & justice • avoid all necessary risk • the sound of shackles clanging • sisyphus’ struggle • grappling with the reality of time • self-governing
URANUS • psychedelic funk music • overflowing cups • a rebellion with skin • looking good in photo id • oblivious but caring • middle fingers in the air • double rainbows • icy diamond exterior • holographic • afraid of their own mediocrity • pearlescent smoke
NEPTUNE • an elegy for the lost • dissolving boundaries • white horses • the burden of mystical conditions • deceptive • escapism is their reality • a polarizing entity • artists soul • paranoia • searching for the unseen • a siren’s swan song
PLUTO • angel statues over graves • power • the cycle of necrosis • transformative • unfathomable depths • an ivory tower toppling over • screaming at the sky • violets and irises • eclipsed darkness • speaks with their shadow • sex, death, rebirth
Tagging @meerseaa and @kingnlionhearts (bc you should absolutely do this for more of them!) (Again, thank you, @criiptiidxchiild!)
Uniforms for pilots and commanders of sleek powerful starships or monarchy funded dragon riders are hard to make both visually interesting and appealing for someone who isn’t used to that kind of design process. If you want some A+ inspiration, look up marching band uniform ideas, (maybe ditch the shakos though.) They are neither too hectic nor too modern, and all around could be very cool, especially if you incorporated some armor, swords, or little baubles.
Some examples:
Incidentally the first thing I pictured when Ann Leckie described military jackets in Imperial Radch was a recolored version of my high school band uniform :/
Bold what applies - italicize sometimes - strike out never. (Bonus): Color the ones that especially fit. Tag some friends to play along!
SUN • egotistical • melted wax wings and fingers • stretching sunburnt skin • the most generous soul • blood in the fruit • halos • anger on fire • high vitality • thunderous laughter • is pride really a sin? • halogenic aura
MERCURY • expansion of the mind • silver-tongued • an everlasting wanderer • polyglot • high dexterity • handwritten letters • innately critical • en vogue • eyes in the trees • hidden libraries • there’s always room for improvement
VENUS • in love with strangers • iridescent waters • love potions for your mirror • selfless devotion • shattering crystal • seafoam upon sand • the golden ratio • drowning in your own passion • material value & high principles • luring • plush lips
EARTH • fresh springs • tree hugger • we can start again tomorrow • a blazing rainforest • respects survival of the fittest • nature’s adversity • lazy bones • constantly evolving • flowers sprouting from wounds • a granite altar • fossilized remains
MOON • illusory • silver shimmer off the ocean • secrets and gossip • cycles of reincarnation • a crybaby • physically ethereal • shared glances with a stranger • cat eyes • mistrusting their intuition • fear is a prison • ornate magic wands
MARS • healthy competition • attraction and repulsion • magma and rubies • a blade being forged • wrath wrath wrath • malefic • intense eye contact • cannon fodder & fireworks • blood floods • copper taste on your tongue
JUPITER • red robes and a suit of armor • beacon of stability • leader by birth • thunderbolts and lightning • guilty but can’t stop • secret rich kid • golden touch golden tears • innate optimist • failure isn’t an option • constantly reaching for more • unfinished symphonies
SATURN • traditional • overbearing energy • a sculptor of reality • this existence is a karmic one • has a heart it’s just.. way down deep • law, order & justice • avoid all necessary risk • the sound of shackles clanging • sisyphus’ struggle • grappling with the reality of time • self-governing
URANUS • psychedelic funk music • overflowing cups • a rebellion with skin • looking good in photo id • oblivious but caring • middle fingers in the air • double rainbows • icy diamond exterior • holographic • afraid of their own mediocrity • pearlescent smoke
NEPTUNE • an elegy for the lost • dissolving boundaries • white horses • the burden of mystical conditions • deceptive • escapism is their reality • a polarizing entity • artists soul • paranoia • searching for the unseen • a siren’s swan song
PLUTO • angel statues over graves • power • the cycle of necrosis • transformative • unfathomable depths • an ivory tower toppling over • screaming at the sky • violets and irises • eclipsed darkness • speaks with their shadow • sex, death, rebirth
Thank you, @criiptiidxchiild, for the tag, this was a fun exercise! Tagging @fourthcrow!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
