PANEL ORGAN - KIIT University

social-Cultural-personality development moreover holistic development in their lives
which greatly affect the family and the society as well. With reference to pre-school
education it reflects their living style, food habit, hygiene aspects and cultural beliefs.
Apart from that most of the people (90%) are from different tribal groups. They need
motivation along with great patience to make them convince for the pre-school education
and make them to understand the importance and the need of education for the
betterment in their community life.
PANEL-02(A): CHILDREN IN PATRILINEAL AND MATRILINEAL SOCIETIES
26 th November, 2012 Time: 14.00-16.30hrs Hall No.:
PANEL ORGANIZER
RANJAN, Geetika, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India, E-mail:
PANEL ABSTRACT
The system of inheritance, descent and succession plays a dominant role in determining
the attitude of a family and society at large towards its children. Certain studies have
shown that in patrilineal societies the male children are mostly given a preferential
treatment. For instance, in many patrilineal societies in India the birth of a male child is
desperately prayed for as the boys are taken as retainers and transmitters of the family
name and such an approach eventually leaves shadows over the other rights of the girl
child in such societies such as quality of education being imparted to her, her nutritional
requirements etc. In matrilineal societies the descent and inheritance is traced in female
line. In communities like the Khasi of Meghalaya the youngest daughter inherits the major
share of the parents’ property. The proposed panel shall attempt to unravel the position
of children – male and female in matrilineal and patrilineal societies and their
socialization under the two different canopies. It shall also explore the pertinent realities
which lie between the general assumptions of girls calling the shots and boys being on the
receiving end, in case of matrilineal societies and vice versa in the case of patrilineal
societies.
PAPER PRESENTERS
NASIR, Rosina, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, School of
Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, AP, India, E-mail:
Descent: Conceptual and Operational View
Radical feminists invariably accuse patriarchal structure and ingrained element of
inheritance of property which is aligned with patrilineality for the social evils against
women in society. It is needed to address the debate on the edifice of social structure
wherein predominant space has been allocated to patrilineal descent instead of any other
descent. Question arises that why and who has designed the social structure in favor of
the dominant position of male thereby neglecting other biological variations. Would it be
possible to assume a descent contributing the social structure which is being neutral in
character in every aspect, left alone the biology This article represents an endeavor to
comprehend the conceptual base for the shift from matrilineal to patrilineal descent, if it
has been so and how this shift is aligned with benign social change ascertaining equitable
position of women. Apart from conceptual review of the descent, in the present study an