Ishan BhatnagarAIR 5 · CSE 2025 · 374 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening
India has a diversity of kinship systems which show differential approaches to women's position, role and entitlements in form like patriliny, matriliny etc.
Body · points
North Indian Kinship System
1> Characteristics: Patrilineal, patriarchal, patrilocal, joint family marked by coparcenary land ownership (M.S. Gore)
2> Status of women → subordinated to men → seen as the "seed" → passive, nurturing principle that does not contribute to inheritance or lineage of the child (Leela Dube)
Prevailing gender notions of self-sacrifice enshrined in concepts like "pativrata", "sati savitri" and "ardhangini" (Leela Dube)
3> Entitlements
Patriarchy contributes to diminishing entitlements
(i) For the girl child - limited access to health and education opportunities → capability deprivation (Sen & Nussbaum)
(ii) Socialization → low self esteem and "putting up" with injustices (Kamla Bhasin)
(iii) Nutritional deprivation owing to "bread-winning" role of men (John Hoddinott) → bad health outcomes such as high anaemia in NFHS-5.
(iv) Limited autonomy - traditionally, little choice in spouse, career etc.
(v) Burdened with upholding "purity of the lineage & caste" → policing women's bodies under Brahmanical Patriarchy (Uma Chakravarty).
(vi) Economic Dependency - fostered by limited access to property rights, curtailing economic freedom (Bina Agarwal)
South Indian Kinship system
Characteristics (Irawati Karve) → can be matrilineal & patrilineal; matriarchal & patriarchal
marriage preference rules: uncle-niece and cross-cousin marriages (Dumont)
Status of women
- Higher autonomy
- No asymmetric relations of bride & bridegrooms family due to marriage in close relation
Traditional Nayar tarawad → choice of spouse, matriliny, matrilocality
Entitlements
- Better position of women owing to kinship and better education → better socio-economic indicators like near-100% literacy.
- Despite some rights in property, limited decision-making power since decisions taken by brother/husband.
Western Kinship system
1> Characteristics: mostly patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal. 2> Status: better than in the Northern kinship system. 3> Entitlements: Limited property rights, more access to stridhan, customs emphasizing link of bride with her family
Eastern Kinship system
Close · a summary
1> Characteristics: matrilineal & matriarchal tribes (North East) - Khasis, also patriliny etc. 2> Status: Greater autonomy 3> Entitlements: Khasis → matrilineal where property passes to youngest daughter but decision still by males.
Hence, there is a tremendous regional variation in status and entitlements of women.