In recent years, several scholarly investigations have brought renewed attention to the status, visibility, and lived realities of women across Northeast India. Despite long-standing perceptions that women in the region enjoy greater freedoms than in other parts of India, a new wave of research suggests that deep-rooted patriarchy, media erasure, and structural inequalities persist. These studies highlight how gendered discrimination manifests in customary laws, mainstream and social media representation, economic exclusion, and political invisibility.
Women and Gangte Danpi: Customary Law and Feminist Reflections
A study titled Women and Gangte Danpi: A Feminist Perspective of Customary Law among the Gangte Tribe by Mercie Gangte, published in the January–June 2024 edition of the Journal of North East India Studies, explored gender roles within the Gangte tribe—a minority Chin-Kuki-Mizo community in Manipur, also present in parts of Mizoram and Assam. The field study, conducted in Chiengkonpang and Bunglon villages of Churachandpur district, covered around 200 women. It revealed that Gangte women enjoy visibility and participation in economic, religious, and sociocultural settings. They actively contribute to farming, dominate marketplaces, and are central to weaving and traditional clothing sales. Within religious and civil society structures, groups like Numei Pawl (Women Society) play major roles in church management and philanthropy.
However, despite such visible contributions, their participation in formal decision-making remains minimal. The study found that more than 85% of surveyed women did not prefer female representation in village councils. Many expressed that leadership and administrative responsibilities should remain with men. Though 80% agreed that male inheritance rules were justified, 65% supported property rights for divorced women, and 55% believed customary laws should evolve. The study suggested that strong adherence to kinship-based customary law among the Gangtes stems not only from familiarity and trust in the system but also from the continued dominance of patrilineal inheritance, which reinforces gendered power structures in society.
The study concluded that Gangte women experience “triple discrimination” as tribal, economically disadvantaged, and female. While customary law is trusted, it perpetuates exclusion from political, administrative, and religious authority. Women’s voices remain suppressed by patriarchal norms, with only nascent signs of legal pluralism and self-determination beginning to emerge. A reconceptualization of customary law, the study argues, is essential for achieving substantive gender equality.
Symbolic Annihilation in Mizo Media
Another study published in the same edition of the Journal of North East India Studies, titled Symbolic Annihilation in Mizoram Media: An Exploration of Women’s Representation by Lalnunkimi Colney, Vanlalmuanpuii Chawngthu, and V. Ratnamala, examined the pervasive underrepresentation and stereotyping of women in Mizoram’s media. The study observed that women were largely absent from serious journalism and political commentary, being confined instead to entertainment stories, beauty pageants, or celebrity gossip.
A glaring absence of female columnists was noted, with Vanglaini newspaper reportedly having only one female columnist in 2014. Editorials and op-eds rarely covered women’s issues. Magazines portrayed women as objects of desire, with 75% of models being women, often in provocative attire unrelated to the advertised products. Street hoardings further perpetuated stereotypes, linking women’s identities to domesticity and objectification.
A Facebook group analysis showed that 60.9% of user posts were about women—most of them derogatory or mocking based on appearance. UNESCO’s Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM) revealed low scores for gender equality in both media organizations and content.
The study concluded that Mizoram’s media space reflects broader patriarchal structures. Women are either erased or typecast into roles that diminish their intellectual, professional, and leadership contributions. Media creation is male-dominated, with only 9 out of 193 members in the Mizoram Journalists Association being women. The study suggested that the portrayal and participation of women in media reinforce gender inequality, discouraging young girls from envisioning empowered futures beyond beauty and servitude.
Subjugation of Women in Northeast India
In 2021, Agnes Jamir’s study Subjugation of Women in Northeast India, published in the journal Literary Endeavour, examined how grassroots revolutions are taking shape as women increasingly participate in campaigns for justice and equality across Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam, and Manipur. She emphasized that despite having a relatively better status than women in other Indian regions, tribal women still face deep societal conditioning and gender bias.
The study underlined that societal beliefs and norms, rather than inherent capacities, are responsible for gender gaps. It advocated for equal educational rights, freedom, and opportunity to allow Northeast women to thrive and challenge male-dominated structures. Jamir concluded that although Northeast women are breaking traditional norms, they continue to be undervalued and face systemic barriers rooted in patriarchy. Yet, their growing roles in social and political spheres offer hope for greater gender equity.
Gender Discrimination and Marginalization in Assam and Manipur
Another 2021 study by Sanghamitra Choudhury and Shailendra Kumar titled Gender Discrimination and Marginalization of Women in North-East India focused on rural districts in Baksa (Assam) and Thoubal (Manipur). It highlighted that women perform more unpaid labor, have less freedom, and are rarely included in household or community decision-making. Even economically active women—those selling produce or crafts—remain disempowered due to financial dependence and social exclusion.
The study noted that dropout rates among girls are high, and patriarchal systems such as patrilineal inheritance and limited land ownership rights restrict women’s advancement. Women were largely absent from peace-building processes despite being severely impacted by conflict. The researchers found a disconnect between professional women and grassroots movements, with educated women less engaged in advocacy for broader structural change. They stressed that societal transformation requires altering cultural perceptions and institutional support for gender equality, especially in conflict-affected areas.
Collectively, these studies paint a sobering picture of women’s status in Northeast India. While popular narratives often portray women in the region as more liberated, the lived experiences captured in these research findings tell a different story—one marked by limited access to power, structural invisibility, and deeply embedded patriarchal norms.
From being sidelined in the media to being excluded from customary and political spaces, the studies paint a clear picture: gender justice in Northeast India remains a distant goal. They urge not just legal reform, but a deeper shift—one that includes women’s voices in governance and media, and rethinks long-held beliefs about their roles in society. Until then, equality remains a promise not yet fulfilled.
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