Meghalaya, India: Where women rule, and men are suffragettes

This fascinating article from the BBC is a succinct image of gender inequality. While the headline draws readers by suggesting the anomaly of reversed-from-the-norm gender inequality, the description given is not unknown. It describes how at birth, the treasured gender is exalted, while the alternative is accepted gravely. Women receive the highest of educational opportunities, and pursue careers. The men are taken from school at a young age to help in the fields, and are married off to take their wives names. The wives don't trust the men with money matters. When the author of this article asks further questions, the women are quick to speak on the mens' behalf, and he never does receive their answer. A select few men are beginning a men's rights movement, seeking to promote their own equality. One man, Mr Pariat, defied the norm by taking his father's surname. He discussed the way men in his culture fall far short of their potential due to social inequalities, particularly with drug and alcohol abuse rampant in the underprivileged group. Patricia Mukkum, the editor of their daily newspaper, acknowledges her privilege, which allowed her a successful career, and children with three different fathers. It paints a picture known only too well, with roles and communication consequences remarkably in line with global marginalization of all kinds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16592633