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Abstract

The global discourse on gender equality gained momentum after the 1975 United Nations World Conference on Women. It continued through a series of international initiatives and culminated in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which emphasized women’s rights and their participation in political, social, and economic life. Despite these normative commitments at the international level, women’s political participation and representation within administrative and decision-making structures continue to be uneven, limited, and structurally constrained across many societies. In this context, the study investigates the political participation and representation of women in Meghalaya, a tribal state in Northeast India characterized by a unique matrilineal heritage. This paper examines how cultural norms and gender relations within matrilineal communities influence women’s political involvement. While feminist scholarship has extensively discussed how patriarchal arrangements limit women’s access to political spaces, matrilineal settings have received comparatively limited analytical attention in the discourse on women’s political representation. Meghalaya’s matrilineal traditions acknowledge women’s resourcefulness, inheritance rights, and social roles. This social arrangement provides a distinctive context for exploring how cultural norms and gender interact with political authority. The study centers on Khasi and Garo women who belong to the two major matrilineal tribes of the region, and it draws upon fieldwork undertaken in two districts with contrasting demographic profiles. The findings of this qualitative study—drawn primarily from fieldwork—reveal that despite women’s prominent position in societal and familial structures, they remain largely absent from leadership and decision-making roles within family arrangements and Indigenous governance bodies. The customary exclusion of women from political structures, reinforced by enduring gendered beliefs and narratives, contributes to their limited presence in formal politics. The combined effects of structural barriers, evolving customary practices, and identity politics further constrain women’s opportunities for political participation. Achieving genuine gender equity, therefore, requires a comprehensive approach that addresses both cultural and institutional challenges through inclusive reforms and targeted policy measures.

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