The quest for power arises from a sense of impotence, which is either endemic or culturally imposed. Regardless the etiology, impotence seems more prevalent among males. Ergo the impulse towards male hegemony.
What makes this quest so fruitless is not just that it is never satisfied, but it has no object. Flicking a light switch has more influence.

Don the DOS (Disappointed Office Seeker

Question: are autocracy and male hegemony inseperable? Can male hegemony put up with rubber stamp democracy, but real democracy is a bridge too far?