I can see what you are wishing to show, that men do all this for women and their need for stuff. This was a problem for the Cherokee Indians when their women saw the ease of the weaving machines of the time. Then the coniving non-life affirming used the "divide and concour on them.

Yet my expereince is that it is a "male dominated" world. I, a woman, grew up in the shadow of my brother. He could do anything, and I had to stay home. He could persue any career and I had to go in to teaching. I was very good in art, but the only way I got "awards" was to sign a masculine name "Tommie" to my art. (I still laugh when I saw their faces looking at a woman!!) When I found the teaching field to be full, I went in to advertising. Again, I was to go get coffee, and take the lowly jobs. Yet my talent was very good. I finally went in to business myself. I catered to a 95% male clientelle, most in the real estate development. If I dress casually, I lost business. If I dress in all silk suits and high heels, I thrived.

Men over the centuries have dominated women and most kept women very much like their pets or work animals. There are many theories as to why; some say they were mystified over the miracle of birth and wanted to control that, while others say that man naturally fought and women needed their protection which grew in to ownership/marriage as a trophy of power and wealth.

Personally... it matters not what went before us. I made my own path through the male jungle of business and it is an illusion for the most part. If you want it badly enough you can do it ...male or female! I have created and owned three different businesses.

Now if you are mid-30's or younger, I can tell you that your view appears so right. With the abundance of advertising, focus on movie stars, soap opera's, and daily TV indoctrination as to what people ....especially women... need to have, wear, own, do....that many wives set the course of what their husbands procure. Since we have had peace in American, our men not going to war at the home lands, men have more time to persue careers. And wealty men then can spoil their mates, and/or sucume to greedy female demands. I can see where you get the idea that the West is female driven. But that is The Illusion that the "non-life affirming" wish us all to believe for them to enslave us forever, both male and female. It is just a small capsule within the larger context of male domination world-wide.

We never have had a female President, and we applaud when some female gets in to a high office of public service which is rare. Females just got the vote about 60+ years ago, and still there is so much "pay discrimination" within the work force...men recieving more pay for the same position, etc.

The only culture I have seen so far that has a more matriarical social order is the Hawaiians, and although it is there, the women let the men appear they are in charge, to blend in with the rest of the world. Yet the western materialism is now infecting them as well.

The true, natural, innate feminine energy is one of unity, harmony, and to nurture and grow, supportive, visionary. This is the innate traits born within all those with a feminine predisopsition. So women and some men, work with this energy. Over centuries of distortion, many males and females don't know up from down! We are presented with so many lies that we feel we must pick some of them to live. TV preaches daily that "all women must fight dirty to keep a man", pitting women against women....and that is so unnatural for women!! It is taught to all of us, even men, so no harmony can exsist. Yet looking back at our ancestors, there was little of that going on. Women would share men and visa vera. The jeolously was only prevelent within the ruling classes where deception was practiced. Seeing how it worked so well to change the center of power, the non-lifeaffirming uses this in all forms on us.

So I cannot agree with the comment about west/east, as to me it is all masculine inbalance that is so prevolent today, and it is evolving towards "true" feminine, which is unity, harmonmy and nurturing. Women would have never agreed on the Hiroshima bombings nor any thing like it!
Materializm has nothing to do with gender as it has an effect on all of us. I think men are really tierd of this type of world. They work too hard and are not as happy as they want. I saw an angry dad come home from his job as CEO where they chew him up from below and above. He never got to live life except when we went on a vacation. He was angry, tierd and watching our budget his whole life. Women are also tierd of it and ready for a change.

For true Peace to exsist.. we need the natural balance of male and female energies. We need to dump this consumerism which is a self perpetuating evil as the companies chant ... "BUY.. it is to save jobs!" We could do without 2/3rds of the stuff manufactured presently. But we would have to create more leisure time, and who wants to do that!

As I look at my 70 year old single, male neighbor.. (and giggle as I state this); he has collected every electronic gadget ever made. His garage is full of them! No female in sight, he never ever married, nor does he date. He just makes good money and collects! I think he believes "the man with the most toys when he dies wins!" The apittome of materialism. He has no connection to the world of people but, oh the expert about his stuff!

LOL
thank you for your post....and making us think!