Male-dominated society: a term used interchangeably with a patriarchal society. A number of professions may also be described as male-dominated, particularly those in which social, political and economic power is concentrated into the hands of a small male elite. The degree to which society/a profession is male-dominated can be assessed by statistical evidence, yet it often makes more sense to consider the term masculine-dominated when striving towards an understanding of the psychological barriers facing women.