The Khasi proudly claim to follow matriarchal traditions, and after 'India proper' anything which empowers women is something to be proud of. The common examples given are both the insignificant use of the woman's family name and the significant allocation of property among daughters. However doubts start to appear, the notices informing people not to drop litter, wash in certain streams and so on are by order of the village headman. I check, and this is no accidental use of a gendered term. The head of the village is a man, and decisions, decisions are made by a committee of men. But the individual traditions in the society don't give the full impression, women seem freer. As in the developed parts of Nepal, they can wear t-shirts and makeup without being harassed. Men and women can interact freely, choose their partners in marriage, and the gender ratio for the state is far closer to balanced than India as a whole.
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