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Gynocentrism (Greek γυνο, gyno-, "woman", χεντρον, kentron, "center") is the practice, conscious or otherwise, of placing female human beings or the feminine point of view at the center of one's view of the world and its culture and history. Gynocentrism parallels androcentrism, which places the focus on the male instead of the female.
Marija Gimbutas assumed a "woman-centered" society surrounding goddess worship in Neolithic Europe. Her term for the concept was "matristic". This implies an emphasis on women greater than in mere matrilineality (which may also occur in patriarchal societies), but not necessarily to the point of matriarchal. Gimbutas' ideas were received with skepticism in archaeological mainstream, but exerted great influence on second-wave feminism in the USA, notably on feminist neopaganism (such as Dianic Wicca).
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