Matriarchy, Resistance and Gender-Based Violence in Sheri S. Tepper’s The Gate to Women’s Country

This paper analyses Sheri S. Tepper’s The Gate to Women’s Country, which portrays a matriarchal society where women govern all aspects of life, while men live as warriors outside the city walls. Only the servitors—men who willingly submit to the matriarchy—are allowed to remain within this female-controlled society. This study applies Judith Butler’s theory of performativity and examines the intricate relationship between power, gender-based violence, and resistance in this dystopian world. These novel challenges traditional gender roles by reversing the power dynamics, yet it interrogates the persistence of violence and oppression. Women in Women’s Country are empowered in governance and reproduction. But they must confront the limits of their power which creates new forms of dominance over men. The servitors are compliant yet marginalized. They reflect the novel’s exploration of gender dynamics and the complexities of power. Tepper compares and contrasts matriarchy with a stern patriarchal society where brutal gender-based violence against women prevails without any resistance. By highlighting the mechanisms of control within the matriarchal system, the paper provides insights into the persistence of gender-based violence, even in societies that appear to empower one gender over another. This paper offers a critical perspective on how oppression can manifest across gender boundaries, emphasising the resilience of those who are marginalised by these systems.

Keywords: Gender role, gender representation, resistance, gender-based violence, Judith Butler, performativity.