PANEL ORGAN - KIIT University

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Gender Bias in Health and Nutrition Care in Patrilineal Societies in India
Inequities, driven by overwhelming poverty, affect both male and female in developing
world. Yet cultural traditions, scant economic resources and limited opportunities often
marginalize females all over the world. Males have better across to health care, nutrition
and education. Gender bias has spread throughout as men retain economic and political
power. Women’s health issues have traditionally been ignored in patriarchal systems.
Many Indian women go through life in a state of nutritional stress, with little control over
their own fertility and reproductive health, and face violence inside and outside the
family. In many households across the country, boys generally enjoy preference over girls
in matter of health care. Mortality and morbidity rates are apparently higher, and severe
clinical forms of protein calorie malnutrition like kwashiorkor more prevalent in girls than
in boys. The prevailing distortion in population sex ratio in all the states of India,
excepting Kerala, is in line with these findings.
DKHAR, Dr. Valerie, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India, E-mail:
The Effect of Socio-Cultural Factors on Gender Preference in Khasi Society
The relative value of male and female children is the outcome of many economic, social,
cultural and demographic factors as well as the role assigned to sexes by the society. The
preference of a female child in matrilineal societies is indicative of the kind of social
structure that exists in these societies, since descent and inheritance is traced through the
female line. Due to the very nature of matriliny, it becomes imperative to beget a female
child in order to ensure the succession of the clan. This leads to a preference for a female
child. This paper, however, seeks to explore whether families of the Khasi matrilineal
society in Meghalaya are still deeply rooted in this tradition or with time, changing their
perspective due to certain factors like education, modernization and globalization and the
impact thereof on the children.
NONGKYNRIH, Deigracia, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, Meghalay, India, E-mail:
Girl Child Labour in Patrilineal and Matrilineal Societies: A Case study of Shillong City
Child labour is a phenomenon largely exemplified in under-developed and developing
countries. Literature suggests that the treatment meted out to boys and girls differ
according to the prevalent social and cultural customs and traditions. Under patrilineal
societies it is a well known fact that preference is being given to a boy as opposed to a girl
child; while under the matrilineal societies, equal treatment of both sexes is generally an
observable fact. The only exception under the matrilineal society is the system of
inheritance that is traced through the women. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to
examine the extent of girl child labour in a matrilineal set up and whether there are any
differences in the treatment towards the girl child under the prevailing customary
practices of the society.
PANEL-03: GLOBALIZATION AND CHILDHOOD
26 th November, 2012 Time: 14.00-16.30hrs Hall No.:
PANEL ORGANIZER