Hierarchy Is NOT A Dirty Word!

By Ajax the Great (Pete Jackson)

(Originally posted on the "Vive La Difference!" blog)

HIERARCHY.  There is that word again, a word that means practically all things to all people.  It gets loaded with all sorts of baggage depending on who you ask.  But it is neither inherently good NOR bad.

The Oxford dictionary definition of hierarchy is, "a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority."  The etymology is from late Middle English: via Old French and medieval Latin from Greek hierarkhia, from hierarkhēs ‘sacred ruler’ (see hierarch). The earliest sense was ‘system of orders of angels and heavenly beings’; the other senses date from the 17th century.  Since then, the word has been used to refer to all sorts of ranking systems, from clergy to military to business to politics to society and beyond.

There is apparently a dogma in some circles that Women don't really LIKE hierarchies at all.  And while that dogma may have a kernel of truth (in that Women tend to have less of the classic libido dominandi, i.e. the "desire to dominate," than men do), it's mostly bunk.  Rather, it's more the NATURE of the hierarchy and what it is used for.

Far from jettisoning it wholesale, Riane Eisler had noted long ago that there are two main kinds of hierarchies:  hierarchies of domination (as seen in the dominator or authoritarian model), and hierarchies of actualization (as seen in the partnership or authoritative model).

Here is what Google has to say about it:

Hierarchies of domination and actualization differ in how power is used: domination systems rely on fear, force, and strict, top-down control to maintain inequity. In contrast, hierarchies of actualization (common in partnership systems) use power to empower others, fostering mutual respect, accountability, and growth. 

Hierarchies of Domination (Authoritarian)

• Structure: Strict, rigid, and top-down, often found in both family and state, normalizing inequity.
• Mechanism: Maintained through fear, force, and violence.
• Focus: Power "over" others to control, bully, and treat lower rungs as means to an end.
• Outcome: High levels of sanctioned violence and suppression of human potential. 

Hierarchies of Actualization (Partnership)

• Structure: Democratic and egalitarian, utilizing leaders/mentors to guide, not crush.
• Mechanism: Power is used to "empower" and "power with" others.
• Focus: Facilitating growth, creativity, and the fulfillment of potential.
• Outcome: Mutual respect, accountability, and valuing of care/nonviolence. 

Comparison

• Goal: Domination seeks control; actualization seeks development.
• Context: Domination is often "authoritarian," whereas actualization is "authoritative".
• Impact: Domination hampers growth, while actualization promotes "mission-driven creativity". 

While the "domination" approach is often ingrained, the shift to "actualization" represents a move toward partnership-oriented systems, where the goal is to foster human capacity rather than stifle it. 

And there you have it.  It would seem that Women would generally tend to prefer hierarchies of actualization rather than domination overall (while men tend to prefer hierarchies of domination, often to the point of a "king of the hill" game writ large, or perhaps a "pyramid scheme").  Note also that such a distinction should really be thought of as a spectrum rather than a binary, with many hierarchies falling somewhere in between in practice.  Also note how the apparent absence of formal hierarchy can create a power vacuum, and we all know how Nature feels about vacuums!  A sneaky, subtle, and informal hierarchy often develops in its place to fill the vacuum.  Natch. And clearly, at least in the MINDS of men, Women absolutely MUST occupy the "alpha" position, even if only as a placeholder to keep men from occupying that position, regardless of what the actual hierarchy is like in practice.

In other words, the truth is of course far more nuanced and complex than "hierarchies of domination are great and the natural order of things!" or "all hierarchies are bad and inherently unethical!".  And of course, such nuances don't fit easily onto a bumper sticker, T-shirt, or meme.  But that doesn't make it any less true.

If one were to distill it into a meme, bumper sticker, or T-shirt slogan, the best one would probably be, "Hierarchy is NOT a dirty word! Even bonobos have hierarchies, just more evolved ones".  (True by the way.)