I am currently creating a dryad-themed fantasy setting and want it to feature a matriarchal society. My patriarchal-raised brain (needlessly) needs a reason for why this is so, and so I have created a world where male dryads only live ca 40 years, while female dryads have a lifespan equal to that of their hometrees (hundreds of years).

The question this has raised is: what (other) aspects of my setting this might change? Are males (and long lived females) more or less likely to become adventurers? Murderers? Will conflict need to be handled differently?

I realize the temptation here is to cite well-accepted gender stereotypes, and while not completely unwelcome, please consider that this is a dryad race who need not conform to our expectations.