Don't walk on the Cracks in the Pavement (Mater v Pater)

Please understand that I am precise and clear (that Joanna is not here), walking carefully to avoid the cracks in the pavement.

Alma mater (Latin: "nourishing mother"), pronounced /ˈælmə ˈmeɪtər/ (UK), /ˈɑːlmə ˈmɑːtər/ (US), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele[1], and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary.

In modern times, it is often a school, college, or university attended during one's formative years,[1] which is usually interpreted to mean from where one earned one's first degree or doctorate, or both.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alma_mater

versus

The pater familias (plural: patres familias) was the head of a Roman family. The term is Latin for "father of the family" or the "owner of the family estate". The form is irregular and archaic in Latin, preserving the old genitive ending in -as (see Latin declension). The pater familias was always a Roman citizen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pater_familias

cf.

Patriarchy is a social system in which the father or eldest male is head of the household, having authority over women and children. Patriarchy also refers to a system of government by males, and to the dominance of men in social or cultural systems. It may also include title being traced through the male line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchy

Matriarchy (or gynecocracy) refers to a gynecocentric form of society, in which the leading role is taken by the women and especially by the mothers of a community.

There are no known societies that are unambiguously matriarchal, although there are a number of attested matrilinear, matrilocal and avunculocal societies, especially among indigenous peoples of Asia and Africa, such as those of the Basques, Minangkabau, Mosuo, Berbers or Tuareg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriarchy