We do read of at least one matriarchal society in LotR, and that in a Hobbit-like surrounding - Gollum's family is described by Gandalf in 'The Shadow of the Past':
Quote:
...a clever-handed and quiet-footed little people.
...of hobbit-kind...
There was among them a family of high repute, for it was larger and wealthier than most, and it was ruled by a grandmother of the folk, stern and wise in old lore, such as they had.
...his grandmother, desiring peace, expelled him from the family and turned him out of her hole.
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Now, we don't know if this matriarchal family structure was the rule or the exception among Gollum's people, but the context shows that the grandmother was the one who made decisions concerning family welfare. Also, the fact that it is called "
her hole" shows that she owned the property, always an important factor in power structures - ownership equals power.
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth..
.'