No abstract

The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether rural women are empowered in a matrilineal society in India. In a state where traditional institutions function on the basis of local customs and conventions that are not codified and yet religiously followed, it is questionable to whether the women are essentially empowered. In such a scenario, one wonders if owning land is enough to empower a woman. The objective of this study is to check if whether land ownership empowers a woman and if it gives her decision-making power in the household. The study was conducted at one village from each of the two districts in Meghalaya- the East Khasi Hills and the West Khasi Hills. Fifty female respondents from each district were made to answer a structured questionnaire, after which four respondents had to be eliminated, as they were unmarried and eighteen respondents had to be dropped as they were either a widow or separated. Probit regression was then used to analyze the data. The results stated that women who inherited land were more likely to have a savings account and be a part of a socio-economic group. From this it can be concluded, that women who owned land through lineage were empowered, however the fact that they still consider their husbands to be the head of the family, makes us consider that there may be a psychological component to it.

Most social science literature on the youth of NorthEast India focuses on youth movements or students' movements. Refocusing attention, this paper attempts to inquire and understand the problems of these youth. Drawing from secondary sources and examples from the field, it argues that the problems of the youth emanate from the structure of the society and the process of social transformation.

Mate selection in the social world is an interesting area of study among social scientists and sociologists. Mate selection is embedded with factors such as social background, race, colour, status, political ideology, traditions and customs, religious rules, and other aspects. This paper seeks to understand mate selection by focusing on select tribal communities of NorthEast India. On the basis of the information, the paper argues mate selection is a complex process of selection governed and guided by various factors, such as customary rules and practices, and religious persuasions or denominational regulations, etc.