Volume-XI, Issue-IV, July 2025 |
Participation of Garo Women in Village Administration in Meghalaya Prof. (Dr.) Soma Bhowmick, Vice Chancellor, William Carey University, Meghalaya, IndiaNamratha T Sangma, Research Scholar, Dept. of Political Science, William Carey University, Meghalaya, India |
Received: 03.06.2025 | Accepted: 08.07.2025 | Published Online: 31.07.2025 | Page No: | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.11.issue.04W.107 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
Women’s empowerment may be important in decision-making that influences their lives and society. However, women face lots of discrimination in society as well as in the village administration. In the Meghalaya state of northeast India, the population comprise three major tribes, i.e., the Garo, the Khasis and the Jaintias. They follow the matrilineal system, where a child takes the title of their mother, and after the marriage, men must live in the wife’s house. Women in Garo society are highly respected, and they inherit property and reside after marriage. Being a matrilineal society, the property belongs to the women, and the A•king Nokma (Landowner) are women. However, in practice, the decision is made by her husband and the Chras (uncles and brothers). Even their participation in the local administrative units, like village councils, is minimal. Despite having full state status since 1972, Meghalaya has not seen a steady rise in women’s political empowerment. This paper evaluates the status of women in the Garo society and the lack of women's participation in politics in the village administration of Garo Hills. The paper consists of the following parts: 1. Introduction: 2. Women’s Participation in the Village Administration in Garo Hills. 3. Challenges the Garo women face vis-à-vis their political empowerment 4. Strategies to enhance the presence of Garo Women in village administration 5. Conclusion: Keywords: Women Empowerment, Garo Hills, Village Administration, Garo Women |