Patriarchy. Will it ever end?

Going back to the idea of a patriarchal society I just wanted to talk a bit about Shakespeare's relation to this theme. During the Elizabethan era, in which Shakespeare wrote, patriarchy was a major part of society, men being the dominant figures, and women having barely any power. Shakespeare made this extremely clear in his dramas. In a majority of his plays women rarely had their own opinions, let alone any sort of true power. Even Lady Macbeth, who seems to be the one influencing Macbeth, proves to be powerless in the end. In a way it is a bit ironic that during this era women had barely any dominance over the men, considering that a women, who in fact was extremely powerful and intimidating, was in control. However, despite a women ruling over the entire English society, proving to not only the UK, but to the rest of the world, that women are powerful and just as capable as men, women in the lower ranks were still being put down and seen as inferior to men. Even today, powerful, educated, driven women are often put down by men, receiving a lower position in the work place, for example, simply because of their gender. It makes us wonder when such prejudices will come to an end.