Matriarchy in SF

A form of society in which women hold the power. Distinct from matrilineality (families trace their lineage through the maternal side) and matrilocality (men are exogamous, moving to women's households on marriage).

Relevant SFnal works

Please do not include woman-only worlds in matriarchies. Every all-woman world with any government is necessarily a matriarchy.

Note: Not all works representing matriarchies are feminist; some are quite sexist.

• World in Carnival by Elizabeth Bear
• World in Playing God by Sarah Zettel
• Universe in Dryland's End by Felice Picano

• Alderman, Gill. The Archivist (A young man is raised from the gutters to participate in, perhaps, a revolution; homosexuality is not feared or disdained, and the young man's mentor is also his lover.)
• Allegra, Donna. "A Toast of Babatine." Sinister Wisdom #34, Berkeley, CA, 1988. [an egalitarian woman-only society]
• Arnason, Eleanor. A Woman of the Iron People (1991) and Ring of Swords (1993) [not exactly a matriarchy, but separate sexed species]
• Asaro, Catherine. The Last Hawk

• Berger, Thomas. Regiment of Women (Simon & Schuster, 1973) (anti-feminist screed. This man (Berger) is as obsessed with the rightness of penetration by the "protuberant organ" (i swear!) as the general in "Dr. Strangelove" is obsessed with "our precious bodily fluids." -- lq, 6/11/00)
• Bishop, Anne. Dark Jewels Trilogy. (Theoretically a matriarchy, the old matriarchy is shown as corrupt; a young woman is born who will be the new Queen.)
• Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Ruins of Isis (1978)
• Brantenberg, Gerd. Egalia's Daughters: A Satire of the Sexes (originally: Egalias døtre) (translated from Norwegian into English by Louis Mackay) [feminist satirical role-reversal]
• Brin, David. Glory Season (1993) [colonial world; lines of female clones run the society; a few men and non-clone women make their way]

• Carr, Jayge. Leviathan's Deep (1979)
• Clayton, Jo. Irsud (1978)
• Cooper, Edmund. Gender Genocide (1972) (misogynistic)
• Cooper, Parley J. The Feminists (1971) (anti-feminist)

• Ellison, Harlan. "World of Women" in Fantastic, Feb. 1957. [insane matriarchal ruler must be stopped]

• Farmer, Philip Jose. Flesh (1969) [strange]
• Freireich, Valerie J. Testament (1995)

• Hall, Sandi. Wingwomen of Hera (1987)
• Hossain, Rokeya Sakhawat. "Sultana's Dream" (1905) (a short story in which the Sultana visits Ladyland, where purdah has been reversed to the great benefit of the land)

• Jones, Gwyneth. Divine Endurance (1984) [post-apocalyptic societies]

• Kettle, Pamela. The Day of the Women (1969). [anti-feminist]

• Laumer, Keith. "War Against the Yukks" (1965) [anti-feminist]
• Le Guin, Ursula K. "The Matter of Seggri"
• Leigh, Stephen. The Bones of God (1986)

• Moskowitz, Sam, editor. When Women Rule [anthology of matriarchal stories, many of them sexist]

• Felice Picano. Dryland's End (1995)

• Mack Reynolds. Amazon Planet (1975) [Amazonia presents itself to the universe as a matriarchy, but that's really a front for the planet's actual system -- anarchist experiment with ostensible gender equality.]

• B. J. Salterberg The Outlander: Captivity (1989)
• Pamela Sargent. The Shore of Women (1986)
• Sheri S. Tepper, The Gate to Women's Country

• Élisabeth Vonarburg. In the Mother's Land

Films

• "FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions" (2004; dir. Carlos Atanes) (a matriarchy governs Europe) [1]