Women and education
My grandparents were born in the early part of the 20th Century while my children were born in the early 21st Century. The changes that have taken place in the 100 years between is mind boggling.
There are fascinating pictures on the internet that give us a clue on the lifestyles. Period movies also give us a glimpse on the society that existed then.
For instance, I found this picture of a Nair girl on her way to school and what struck me is that my paternal grandmother who also went to school for her early education may have dressed like her as was the norm. She was born in 1910.
I also feel a sense of pride to think when there are societies even today when girls are denied education, at least some sections of old Kerala society in the 1900s’ believed in educating the girls at par with the boys. My maternal grandmother even became a teacher and a good one at that. The matrilineal Nair society probably had something to do with it.
For most of the urban dwellers today the choice is not between whether you can go to school or not but which school or which Board. In the COVID-19 pandemic schooling has got relegated to online classes. It might well be the future of education with more parents opting for online home schooling. It will be interesting where the society heads.
On the other hand, we are also witnessing the coming back of Taliban in Afghanistan who don’t believe in education of women. And by corollary that strikes at the roots of economic independence of women and basic human rights including the all-important right to vote. Keeping women uneducated serves patriarchal interests of the society, a threat that is ever looming like an ocean pushing and eroding the fragile coast and it needs constant effort to keep the threatening deluge of patriarchy at bay.
It goes without saying we cannot take our freedom and basic rights for granted.
Even if the society is matrilineal it often remains patriarchal for example the Kerala Nair community. So while the family name or caste was passed down via the mother to her children, the head of the family was often the eldest son of the family and that power passed from uncle to nephew as we can see in the succession in Kerala royal families.
Today the Nair family matrilineality is under threat. We see wives assuming their husbands name and even caste because it becomes convenient. In the rest of the country and the west, the wife automatically changes her surname to that of her husbands. Their system cannot deal with a matrilineal concept. How can the wife’s name not mention either her husband’s name or his surname? Its another of the perils of globalization threatening traditional systems of smaller communities.
I think that matrilineality must not only be protected but matriarchy must take over our society. All problems in the world have materialized because of the egocentric patriarchy and its short sighted big money power games.
The Garo, Jaintia Khasi tribes in Meghalay are matrilineal and matriarchal. Recently we saw reports on Domiasiat, a uranium rich village in Meghalaya and the defiance of its matriarch Spility Lyngdoh Langrin who took on the Uranium Mining lobby. She was offered 45 crores to allow the mining on her land but refused. The big always find a way to bulldoze their way and the single voice of protest always lose unless it gets amplified by others.
Even something as trivial as the right to retain your name and caste post marriage is hugely significant in fighting patriarchy. Why should a woman change her name. Imagine a society where the children take on their mothers name/surname/caste. Imagine a new law that changes the way things are done.
A society where women are given an equal voice and opportunities; where they are included and take over leadership roles in larger numbers will be beneficial for the whole planet, in every aspect. I firmly believe in this. We must groom our girls and give them the confidence to become future leaders. We must tilt the balance in the favor of women — in every society, community, vocation, profession. There will always be insecure men protesting and bullying their way but we must surge on.
Education is only the first step.
