Which concept focuses on how female roles in society can reflect and sustain male dominance?

• A. Feminine empowerment
• B. Hegemonic Femininity
• C. Matriarchal portrayal
• D. Gender neutrality

Answer: (B)

The idea is about how gender norms and roles help sustain power structures, especially male authority. Hegemonic femininity describes the culturally ideal form of being a woman that supports this hierarchy by valuing traits like passivity, domesticity, beauty, and care-taking. When society rewards these traits and socializes women to fit this mold, it reinforces the sense that men should hold power and women should align with supportive, subordinate roles. This continuation can happen across media representations, family expectations, education, and the workplace, making the existing social order feel natural or inevitable. Feminine empowerment would challenge these norms, a matriarchal portrayal would imagine women with dominant power, and gender neutrality would minimize gender-specific expectations. So, the concept that best explains how female roles can reflect and sustain male dominance is hegemonic femininity.