Read the passage given below and answer the question.
Khasi matriliny generates intense role conflict for men. They are torn between their responsibilities to their natal house on the one hand, and to their wife and children on the other. In a way, the strain generated by such role conflict affects Khasi women more intensely. A woman can never be fully assured that her husband does not find his sister's house a more congenial place than her own. Similarly a sister will be apprehensive about her brother's commitment to her welfare because the wife with whom he lives can always pull him away from his responsibilities to his natal house. The women are more adversely affected than men by the role conflict generated in the Khasi matrilineal system not only because men wield power and women are deprived of it, but also because the system is more lenient to men when there is a transgression of rules. Women possess only token authority in Khasi society; it is men who are the defacto power holders. The system is indeed weighted in favour of male matri-kin rather than male patri-kin. (In other words, despite matriliny, men are the power holders in Khasi society; the only difference is that a man's relatives on his mother's side matter more than his relatives on his father's side).
Pick the correct option:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → A patriarchal family structure exists where the men exercise authority and dominance
Option (1) A patriarchal family structure exists where the men exercise authority and dominance — Correct. ‘Patriarchy’ is rule by men. A family structure is called patriarchal when the men exercise authority and dominance in it.
Option (2) A patriarchal family structure exists where the women exercise authority and dominance — Incorrect. Where women play a similarly dominant role, the structure would be called matriarchy, not patriarchy. Matriarchy has remained a theoretical concept, since there is no evidence of a society where women exercise dominance.
Option (3) A patriarchal family structure exists where the elder of the family exercise authority and dominance — Incorrect. Patriarchy is defined by the gender of those who hold authority, men, and not by age. An elder of the family may be a woman; authority held by an elderly woman would not make a family patriarchal.
Option (4) A patriarchal family structure exists where the line of inheritance and the rules of residence do not coincide — Incorrect. Rules of inheritance (patrilineal or matrilineal) say who gets the property, and rules of residence (patrilocal or matrilocal) say where a married couple lives. A gap between the two says nothing about who exercises authority, which is what makes a family patriarchal.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Diverse Forms of the Family … With regard to the rule of residence, some societies are matrilocal in their marriage and family customs while others are patrilocal. In the first case, the newly married couple stays with the woman’s parents, whereas in the second case the couple lives with the man’s parents. With regard to the rules of inheritance, matrilineal societies pass on property from mother to daughter while patrilineal societies do so from father to son. A patriarchal family structure exists where the men exercise authority and dominance, and matriarchy where the women play a similarly dominant role. However, matriarchy – unlike patriarchy – has been a theoretical rather than an empirical concept. There is no historical or anthropological evidence of matriarchy – i.e., societies where women exercise dominance. However, there do exist matrilineal societies, i.e., societies where women inherit property from their mothers but do not exercise control over it, nor are they the decision makers in public affairs.” |