The objection I always have to the term "patriarchy" is that it seems to imply a system built by males, for the sole benefit of males. And yet that isn't really the case. Sexual discrimination differs from all other forms in that no one is able to avoid seeing the opposite sex. By contrast, race is simply not an issue for me, most of the time. I know relatively few people who aren't white, and don't spend that much time talking with them. But women? I see them all the time, I have to. Almost as a consequence of this, I think sexual discrimination is less based around fear of the unknown, and more based around control and stereotyping, than any other form of discrimination.
These stereotypes are easy to generate: the ditzy blonde, the slut, the good mother, the devoted wife, the frat guy, the slightly goofy and clueless father, the geek, the jock, and many, many more. The difference is that these are stereotypes of both males and females. You don't see white supremacists going around saying things like "All whites are really hard-working and like baseball" nearly so much as they say "All blacks are lazy and like fried chicken and watermelon." Gender discrimination is a two-way street, as it were. And the "problem" for men is that the gender roles they are assigned to are not necessarily good for anyone, let alone for everyone.
For instance, males in (almost?) all industrialized countries have a significantly shorter life-span than women do. Although this may be part biological, certainly part of it is that men are more likely to be victims of violent crime, more likely to be in high-stress or high-danger jobs, and possibly less psychologically healthy in general. This is by no means a good thing. The flip side of this, of course, is that women are generally less encouraged to take the high-stress (and high-pay and -status) jobs; are, ironically enough, more likely to be afraid of the possibility of violent crime; and are "not allowed" to shield their feelings in the same way men are. Again, a two-way street.
There's lots of other stuff too, naturally. Men statistically have higher incomes, better jobs, and are by far the more expected to get high-paying jobs, or any jobs at all. Men are expected to be more aggressive, while at the same time our society punishes people for being too aggressive. Men are expected not to show emotions and be totally self-reliant, regardless of how psychologically damaging this is. Men's "manhood" is intimately connected to a physically (and psychologically) fragile sexuality. On the other hand, women are not allowed to have a sexuality at all. But these are only the problems that people who are able to work within the stereotypes face. Shed a tear for the boy who says he wants to be a ballerina or the girl who says she wants to be a truck driver.
I'm not trying to claim that men are worse off. I don't know if they are, and I realize the difficulty of me trying to be unbiased on the issue. But "patriarchy" is a terrible term for the situation we have. Is the situation hopeless? No, I don't think so. Considering women were not allowed to vote 80 years ago, they've come a long way, baby. But we've still got big improvements to make. I don't, personally, think I'll be one to do it. Brains can only change so far, I believe. But looking over the last four years I'm amazed by how much I have managed to change. Children can always learn from their parents, and so even if the parents can not go the full distance, it is their duty to try and let their kids make it.