Marriage plays a vital role in the basis of Indian society, which includes institutions like caste, religion, marriage, and the family. Indian marriage, which is marked by numerous intricate customs and traditions that are absent from the majority of Western countries, is much more than just the legal and social union of two people. Marriage creates the idea of a family, which allows for generational inheritance. Several of us may be surprised to learn that the Kerala State Legislature outlawed the matriliny system through the Joint Family System after it was common in several Keralan societies for a few decades. Matrilineal cultures are those in which the mother's family, not the father's, is used to trace genealogy or lineage.

Systems that are matriarchal versus matrilineal

Although the terms matriarchal and matrilineal may be used interchangeably in everyday speech, this is not the case. Due to the significant differences between matriarchal and matrilineal systems, misidentification has repercussions. This goes beyond simple semantics. Any progress or change in the right direction is difficult because, after all, an issue that is not identified cannot be addressed. Such misidentification has the potential to hide the patriarchal realities of these communities and minimise the systemic and structural disadvantages that the women in these communities face.

"Matriarchal" and "matrilineal" refer to completely different social organisation systems; in truth, they have nothing to do with one another. While matrilineality governs lineage, matriarchy is a vast social structure. Theoretically, women would have all social and economic power in a matriarchy, even though there is no real matriarchy and no evidence that one ever existed. Both types of social hierarchy, patriarchy and matriarchy, explain how power is distributed in social, economic, and political life to create gender differences. They both explain how this power differential privileges one gender (women in a matriarchy and men in a patriarchy) and influences institutions and society, which encompasses all aspects of life, both public and private.

Misconceptions about matrilineal patriarchies and their wider ramifications

In contrast, a matrilineal system merely establishes the method of inheritance, caste identification, kinship, family membership, and descent as well as the parent lineage that may be tracked. According to matrilineal traditions, the mother is the source of ancestry, which is then passed down through women in each succeeding generation. The opposite of this system, patrilineality, is practised in a large portion of India today, where father-to-child is the source of ancestry, descent, inheritance, and familial and caste connection. A community's social structure is either patriarchal or matriarchal, regardless of whether it practices patrilineal or matrilineal inheritance. Both patrilineal and matrilineal inheritance are possible in patriarchal communities, albeit the former is much more prevalent.

In patriarchal matrilineal societies, women

However, women who trace their ancestry through matrilineality may not always gain more autonomy, agency, or social influence. Women do not confront the structural impediments that they may in patriarchal societies because, by definition, power is slanted in their favour and society and institutions are set up to support them. However, women in communities that practice matrilineality face many of the same institutionalised disadvantages as women in patrilineal systems because the social organisation in both situations is patriarchal. This is because matrilineality is only a system of lineage and has no discernible impact on gendered power dynamics.

Additionally, women transfer inheritance rights to daughters rather than sons. Although certain matrilineal civilisations still exist today, they are merely an exception. Despite appearances, these societies are not fundamentally matriarchal, meaning that the leader of a household is still a man. Legislation outlawed the matriliny system through the Joint Family System after it was common in several Keralan societies for a few decades. Undoubtedly, the state may have "abolished" matrilineal succession for many reasons. Still, it is easy to see why this was necessary at a time when these civilisations were already in decline. Men's incentives in these groups can be cited as an instant response. In ancient civilisations, women's status and authority were essential, and the trend since then has only been toward their demise.

The oldest marriage-related ritual in India is patrilocal residency, which simply indicates that the couple lives at the home of the groom's parents. Although this may appear to be a typical occurrence, the primary cause of this custom is the pervasiveness of patriarchy in Indian society. Patrilocal, matrilocal, and neolocal residency were concepts that existed throughout the world in prehistoric times and for many centuries following. 

Avunculocal housing, in which the couple lives with the woman's maternal uncle, was even practised in some communities. This tradition is seen with absolutely no concern in the twenty-first century. The inquiry into matrilocal homes not being present in India and why it is viewed as a "shameful" act of indecency for a man to live with his wife's parents' family should be a source of intellectual discussion. In certain ways, Indian TV shows and films have shaped our thinking, leading to unwarranted ignorance. These arrangements give women more social and economic stability as well as a higher social standing, but they do not shield them from the numerous other ways patriarchal power structures oppress and marginalise women.

Despite what many people think, matrilineal systems share many of the same patriarchal and misogynistic traditions as patrilineal systems. Matrilineal patriarchies are the best way to describe the societies that still practice matrilineal inheritance; they are by no means matriarchies.

As a feminist, I have a question for all of you who support women and men having equal standing. In our family, ladies have always moved in with their husbands over the years. Do you not think this is strange? How many of us would dare to question this after admitting this strange fact? According to what I understand, we are far more advanced and cognizant of the humanitarian concerns of the modern world than our forefathers were. We must challenge these discriminatory practices that we have heedlessly accepted and engaged in for ages if we are to gradually remove the chains of patriarchy.

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