Matrilineal communities are relatively uncommon in India and are concentrated mainly in Meghalaya and parts of Keralam. In these communities, inheritance goes to the daughters. Though men continue to play important roles in family matters, in community and social decision-making, women inherit family property and assets through the maternal line.
Does a matrilineal way of organising family life have consequences beyond inheritance and social relationships? Does greater female ownership of land and housing translate into better health and nutrition for women and their families?
Recently, researchers from the University of Delhi collaborated with a team from the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong to investigate.Â
They used data from the Indian National Family Health Survey, NFHS-5, undertaken between 2019 and 2021. The survey results contained demographic, socioeconomic, health, and nutrition data from 707 districts across 28 states and 8 union territories. The researchers extracted the NFHS-5 data of Scheduled Tribe respondents in Meghalaya with Khasi or Garo as their native language since Khasi and Garo speaking tribes tend to practice matriliny.
Using health records, the researchers analysed the complete biomarker data of 8,802 women aged 15 to 49 years and 1,409 men aged 15 to 54 years with no chronic illnesses. They assessed the nutritional and health status data of this sample population. To do so, they looked at the body mass index, central obesity, blood pressure, glycemic status using glucose measurements, and incidences of anaemia.
The team also collected primary data from Scheduled Tribe respondents in Meghalaya who speak either Khasi or Garo and observed structural clues to see how female-centred each household was, using matriliny proxy indicators: matrilocal residence as well as house and land ownership. They examined whether a woman had always lived in her current residence, and whether the husband moved into this matrilocal residence to live with his wife’s family. They verified whether the home was owned by a woman, a man, or owned jointly, and whether the family land was owned by a woman, a man, or owned jointly. The team found that, compared to other Indian states, Meghalaya has the highest prevalence of matrilocal residence of over seventy-five percent. Female house ownership was also very high at around forty-four percent. Female land ownership was nearly thirty-two percent. Matrilocal residence is more common among Garo women than among Khasi women.Â
The researchers analysed socio-demographic and socioeconomic variables such as the place of residence (urban/rural), sex of household head, age group, religion, marital status, household size, respondent’s education, and household wealth. In the case of the women, they also included behavioural factors such as substance use in their analysis. The dietary variables included frequency scores to evaluate the consumption of healthy foods such as milk, curds, pulses, beans, dark green leafy vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish, and chicken or meat, against the consumption of unhealthy foods such as aerated drinks and fried foods.
The researchers then developed a modified empowerment index analysing three main domains: decision-making autonomy, attitudes toward violence, and social independence. They found that women in matrilocal households and in households with female ownership of houses and land used less tobacco and consumed fewer unhealthy foods. Matrilocal residence and female asset ownership are associated with higher decision-making autonomy and stronger rejection of violence among women.
The researchers also assessed healthcare access barriers by evaluating perceived difficulties such as obtaining permission, financial limits, distance to facilities, transport issues, not wanting to travel alone, and the availability of medicines or female health providers. They found that women in matrilocal and female-owned households report greater difficulties in accessing healthcare. Compared with women in non-matrilocal and male- or jointly owned households, women in matrilocal residences cite struggles with costs, travel distance and availability of medicines.Â
Via reports from mothers, the researchers collected data on the health of 5,265 children under 5 years of age. Assessment of childhood morbidity was based on whether a child suffered from diarrhoea, fever, and/or symptoms of acute respiratory infection in the two weeks before the survey. They found that those in non-matrilocal and male-owned households had lower odds of reported sickness.
Emerging chronic conditions such as overweight, high blood pressure, and diabetes are more consistently associated with demographic and socioeconomic factors, including age and household wealth, than with matriliny-related indicators.
The researchers found that women have much higher adjusted odds of being underweight if household land is owned by a man or owned jointly rather than exclusively by a woman. On the other hand, men face significantly higher odds of being underweight if they live in jointly owned homes.
The results of the research reveal that matriliny is internally heterogeneous in Meghalaya, with significant variations. The findings also map out localized physical and structural vulnerabilities among the Garo and Khasi populations. Since obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes are more consistently associated with aging, household wealth, and urban living than than with matriliny-related indicators, policymakers must address these emerging health conditions through appropriate public-health interventions, while recognising the broader social and structural context in which kinship systems operate.
American Journal of Human Biology 38 (8): 1-29 (2026);
DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.70320
Reported by Sanghamitra Deobhanj
Freelance science writer, Cuttack
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