She has nothing bad to say about the Moso. Obviously this culture would not work for us -but like every culture on earth they can teach us something. As for no Fathers being the “cause” of crime -the Moso have NO crime. Birth rates are low, and promiscuity is rare. They seem to police themselves with respect and kindness.

I think free people should be able to live freely.

Because MATRIMONY which means “Mother-marriage” was invented by women in Western culture as in all other cultures where the custom of marriage exists, logically males are not supposed to dominate the institution of marriage or have so-called equal rights to custody to the detriment of destroying the natural bond between the mother and child. This is because as noted by one of the comments above, the females provide the bulk of resource investment in the child from the initital gestation period onward until the child becomes more independent.

Furthermore, the bond between the mother and child is supposed to be regarded as sacred and not severed due to male dominance/control issues. The role of the father or husband (if the woman even chooses to marry at all) is to be in a supportive role, contributing his own productive labor (resources) to the well being of the family system, as well as engaging in other nurturing actions which support the well being of the mother and child.

In any case, it is not psychologically healthy for a child to have to be the center of a “custody battle” either in determing what is the best interest of the child. For the best interest of the child is always first and foremost served by remaining attached to the maternal unless egregious circumstances prevent this.

If your interest is to foster harmony in domestic relations, then society must recognize the problematic nature of allowing male control pathology to undermine the ancient Matriarchal system which is rooted in the kinship structure and which naturally supports the optimal growth and development of children. Of course the matriarchal system gives women a strong position including decion making authority in the family and larger society. But again, this has to do with the design of nature and is in accordance with natural laws.

In alignment with natural law, if for whatever reason the union between the female and male is dissolved, the husband/father should be content to remain attached to any offspring sired with the woman through visitation and offering material assistance for the benefit of the well being of the child if that is his true concern.

Oh, and Robert, depriving a person their right to vote based on race and economics is something that was historically done when MEN HAD ALL THE POWER. Just thought I’d clear that up since you seem so ignorant of history.

Are you for real? Did you flunk history or something? Men DID have all the power until fairly recently. In fact, men had all the power for centuries, and we all saw how that worked out. It’s funny how you bring up the right to vote. How many men were deprived of their right to vote simply because they were men? When men did have all the power, women were deprived of the right to vote, the right to own property if married, WERE CONSIDERED PROPERTY ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN OF THEIR HUSBANDS, marital rape wasn’t a crime, wife beating/child abuse was allowed because men had the right to “discipline their families”, women weren’t allowed to go to college, women were kept out of most professions (except domestic service or prostitution). Women weren’t even allowed to make any decisions about their families or their own lives without permission from some male relative whether it was father/husband, or brother. Yet, women were expected to pays taxes to a patriarchal government that didn’t recognize them as human beings at all. In fact, women were held responsible for the debts occurred by their husbands. Robert, you complain about men not having any rights to their children, but tell me, where in today’s world (or any culture in the past), do you see a culture where women have all the power, and men are deprived of their rights to the same extent as women have been deprived of their rights simply for being women? Not even cultures like the Mosuo have deprived men of their rights like women have been historically deprived of theirs.

Btw, most women in Western culture have custody of their children because most women were the PRIMARY CAREGIVERS of their children while married to the fathers of their children. The majority of custody cases are settled out of court with the couple mutually deciding to let mom have custody because dad knows that she’s the one who actually provided most of the care. It’s as simple as that.

As the Mosuo example highlights, “social fatherhood” exists with the participation of the male kinfolk and the extended matri-clan family system, which provides both social protection and material support for the women and children.

Thank you Mr. Cheong, for featuring this article on your family law website. It is worth noting since the US is a pluralistic nation, with many cultures whose origins are matrilineal-matriarchal, that highlighting and preserving such customs can be a viable means of addressing the problems inherent in the western model of marriage and family structure.