Abstract

This review examines the book titled Patriarchy Inc.: What We Get Wrong About Gender Equality—And Why Men Still Win at Work, which was published in 2025 by Cordelia Fine. The book challenges dominant explanations that attribute persistent gender equality. Fine, who is the Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Melbourne, offers a critical argument that such interpretations are fundamentally misplaced, demonstrating that inequality is structurally embedded within social, economic, and institutional arrangements. Patriarchy Inc. challenges the idea that gender inequality is mainly the result of individual choice or natural differences between men and women. Also, it critiques “choice feminism” and biological explanations that present workplace disparities as inevitable or freely chosen. This review underscores the significance that gender equality requires structural transformation of institutions and workplace norms, rather than relying on individual choice or surface-level reforms.

Keywords: Gender inequality, Patriarchy, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Workplace inequality, Structural inequality, Social institutions, Intersectionality, Labor markets