Friederike Oertel

Tired and fed up with everyday life in a patriarchy, Friederike Oertel sets off on a trip to Juchitán in Mexico – one of the last matriarchies in the world. She wants to get away from her everyday life, learn from the local women and return home with new perspectives. But even in a matriarchy, being a woman is more complicated than expected.

Friederike Oertel reads from her new book Urlaub vom Patriachat. Wie ich ausog, das Frausein zu verstehen (2025) and talks about her fascinating trip to Juchitán in Mexico.

Friederike Oertel is a journalist and lives in Berlin. After several stays abroad in Latin America, she now works as an editor at DIE ZEIT, where she prefers to write reports, portraits and long-form pieces. She has received several awards for her writing. “Vacation from Patriarchy” is her first novel.