Paper short abstract:

Men tell matriarchy myths to explain and justify how they initiate boys – through ritual bleeding modelled on that of women. Not merely ideological constructs, these myths accurately describe how men in real life usurp the capacity for menstrual synchrony which was originally the preserve of women.

Paper long abstract:

Matriarchy myths have been dismissed by some feminists as no more than ideological constructs, designed to justify male dominance by claiming that women formerly abused their power. A closer examination of these myths and associated rituals reveals a more complex picture. The 'rule of women' corresponds not to political coercion but to women's ancient traditions of ritually synchronising their cycles with the periodicity of the moon. Much evidence suggests that for many millennia, prior to the establishment of men's rule, lunarchy in this sense - governance by the moon - was central to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. In that sense, the myths are good science.