Where patriarchy is preserved, there are fewer divorces. The patriarchal family is more stable.
When feminism intrudes, the child becomes an idol, the woman becomes his priestess, and the man becomes an economic appendage. As a result, the entire family structure is destroyed.
Archpriest Sergei Rybakov, associate professor of theology department at Ryazan State University, chairman of the religious education department of the Ryazan diocese, answers the question: “Why does the modern family break up?”
“A lot depends on how the the hierarchy is setup. Previously, families had a patriarchal structure, in which a wife traditionally came to her husband each morning to request a blessing for the day. She also brought the children, who would receive blessings from their father. He would bless each of them with his right hand. This is the patriarchal way of the Orthodox family.”
“But then, due to spiritual impoverishment and the influence of liberal ideas, the man ceased to be recognized as a patriarch. As a result, a modern woman rarely fulfills what the apostle has commanded — not to teach, but to learn from her husband at home (1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 14:35). There is no one to learn from now, and worldly wisdom is not enough. The soul of the woman remains hungry, and thus a kind of madness begins. She desires to seize power in the family. The child is often used as an excuse.”
“And thus there is a restructuring of the entire family. The child becomes the head of the family, who is served by the mother. The child becomes an idol, the woman becomes his priestess, and the man becomes an economic appendage. As a result, the entire family structure is destroyed, and the man leaves the family to find a place where he feels more comfortable. Thus the family falls apart.”
“This is confirmed by statistics: Where patriarchy is preserved, there are fewer divorces. The patriarchal family is more stable, and is immune to all sorts of difficulties. If there are fewer divorces, it means that a greater number of families acquire an understanding of the correct dispensation of the family, although it may be done with great difficulty.”
“Meanwhile, where there is a matriarchal approach to raising children, feminism breeds feminist women who are not ready to become wives and mothers, and feminist men who are not ready to become responsible husbands and fathers. So until the pedagogical attitude is changed — through intentional education about the Orthodox family — the situation will continue to be senseless.”
Archpriest Sergei Rybakov
