Biblical "One-Flesh" Unity -- No Room For Patriarchy Here!

"The man takes the initiative to remove himself from his parents; he goes to his bride and joins her in the marital bond. The man's freedom of action in moving away and making his own choices does not reflect a family organization dependent on a father-ruler. Under a strictly patriarchal system, the father-ruler would be the one making those decisions; the new couple would be aggregated to the patriarch's family, and would remain under his authority. The independence enjoyed by the man in marrying and forming a separate "one flesh" entity argues against a patriarchal structure of the family as God's intent for the pre-fall economy of creation.

Singularly, nothing is said of the bride's relationship with her own parents. She seems to be a free agent, in command of her own life . . . The woman represents the stable point of reference. It is the man who moves toward her after leaving his parents. He attaches himself to the woman. She is not appended to his life. He is the one who adds his life to hers, and he "cleaves" to her. The process of a man's separating from his father and cleaving to his bride reflects anything but a patriarch-dominated society . . .

Once the patriarchal pattern of societal organization became institutionalized, it was the bride who moved away from her home. Abraham's command to his servant illustrates the point. 'Go . . . and take a wife for my son Isaac.' The same order might have been given for the acquisition of a piece of property, a horse, a chariot, or a pair of sandals. Such a condition is worlds apart from the creation ideal reflected in Genesis 2:24."

Bilezikian, "Beyond Sex Roles"