Well, different sexes having different roles gave birth to "patriarchy", there was never a successful "matriarchy". Women have more power than most people think, but these "powers" are not so obvious. For example, one of our main evolutionary driving forces, and the thing that separates from chimps, for example, is that females choose their mates. In case of female chimps, they have to just submit to the strongest one. In humans it's different - a woman chooses her mate and in a lot of ways that fact shaped our view of nature as "one which selects", so there is power. There is the power that females have inside a family - a family as a basic unit of society - first army, first religion, first government. I don't think power is only in "governments" and being able to vote for example.
RE: What is matriarchy? What do you think a matriarchal society would look like? ecotrain question of the week