Shrinking the Influence of Man - Weber's Authority and Autonomy

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            By Smrami Patel


        In Authority and Autonomy, sociologist and feminist Marianne Weber proposed several “ideal types,” enabling an understanding of authority within a heterosexual marriage. Among these, primitive patriarchalism describes “the right of the stronger” (2003: 86) suggesting a sphere of influence men have over women through traditional authority within their marriage.  

        This sphere of influence over women evolved the structure of marriage with the Greeks and the Romans establishing another ideal type – legitimate marriage. “Catholicism began the enforcement of monogamy as a moral ideal”, highlighted in this image. During their wedding ceremony, the young couple in a Catholic church depicts how the creation of legal monogamous marriage placed restrictions on men by only having one wife and provided “insurance of certain women and their children against polygamous drives of her husband” (2003: 87). This shrunk the men’s sphere of traditional authority over women. 

         Weber’s historical, conceptual approach to the concept of authority in marriage was once again transformed through the teachings of Quakers. The image identifies one of the key principles of Protestant attitudes towards marriage. The couple kneeling as a priest performs their ceremony signifies the couple’s commitment to God and their relinquishing authority to Him. Coinciding with the Quaker’s beliefs both the man and women see God as the ultimate authority within a marriage, displacing the man as the authority figure, further shrinking the sphere of traditional authority of men. This principle allowed for “religious equality of the woman was taken seriously for the first time” (2003: 89), providing a dimension of choice for women. Thus, shifting marriage away from the traditional authority of men and creating tension between the “ideal types” of marriage, one in which women became more autonomous, and subordination was voluntary.


    Works Cited:

            Weber, M., & Bermingham, C. R. 2003. “Authority and Autonomy in Marriage: Translation with Introduction and Commentary.” Sociological Theory, 21(2), 85–102. 

            Unknown Creator. 2020. “Religious Marriage in Church.” From https://floralocale.org. Retrieved April 20, 2022. (https://floralocale.org/best-marriage-options-in-church/) 




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