ABSTRACT
Despite the fact that many systems theorists strive to pay primary attention to the rules and roles of an individual’s context, the family literature tends to examine family dysfunction as if it unfolds in isolation from the broader patriarchal system in which the family is embedded. Viewed from this perspective, the author argues that Family Systems Theory is not contextual enough, and that much can be gained from beginning to seriously explore the circular interrelatedness of patriarchal society and the functioning of particular families.
