Southern White Patriarchy
The pedestal upon which southern white womanhood stands is buttressed by an equally sacred southern white masculinity characterized by a distorted notion of honor, a penchant for violence, and male righteousness and superiority. Thus, Second-Wave Feminism spurred not only a defiant anti-feminism with which many white southern men and women identified, but also a men’s rights campaign that portrayed men as victims of reverse discrimination and promoted a dominant and defensive masculinity that was very familiar to southern white audiences. This misogyny, along with a religious assertion of manhood that was popular in southern evangelical churches, provided Republicans with an opportunity to build their partisan brand among white southerners. Often masked by romanticized notions of chivalry, southern white masculinity depends upon a patriarchal system and the traditional gender roles inherent in that system. The GOP would appeal to both as it chased southern white voters throughout the Long Southern Strategy.