RETHINKING PATRIARCHY AND THE FAMILY IN 17TH-CENTURY ENGLAND

The historiography on the English family is divided between those who view the family as a sanctuary of emotional support and those who cons ider it an institution of female oppression, sibling jealousy, and int ergenerational rivalry. The detailed archives of the Barrett-Lennard f amily reveal that this divide is mainly the product of a simplistic de piction of family life in the past, which fails to take into account t he shifts in family relationships. Moreover in examining patriarchy in the home, historians have concentrated on the marital relationship, e xcluding other male-female diads such as brother and sister. Finally t hey have not yet thoroughly investigated patriarchy in action as oppos ed to in principle. Patriarchy was so long-lasting not because its har sh strictures were softened by affection but because the system contai ned within it the necessary structures for mitigation.