This established social system is evident in nearly all societies and reinforces the imbalance of power between men and women through religion, education, economics, and healthcare. One way to describe it is to compare it to the air we breathe. We can’t see the air but it surrounds us and we breathe it in constantly. Patriarchy is similar. It permeates society, although we may not see it, this system has significant impacts in nearly every area of our life. For example, men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property. This can result in differential patterns of care for men and women for the same health problem. For example, in India, men and women seek different types of care for tuberculosis (TB). Women will seek private practitioners and traditional healers, as they are fearful their diagnosis will be revealed in public. Men with TB are not stigmatized in the same manner as women and seek treatment through the conventional medical system. A public diagnosis could result in married women being divorced and unmarried women experiencing difficulties finding a marriage partner. In Vietnam, women diagnosed with TB are more hesitant to follow a doctor’s orders without seeking their husband’s advice, which often delays the start date of treatment. In patriarchal based countries, women are generally vulnerable to abuse within the health care provider–patient relationship, especially those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged due to race, poverty, class, and age. Therefore, these examples demonstrate that patriarchy is evident within the medical care system, although it may not be readily visible to everyone.