Published Paper Details:

The Khasi's have a traditional political institution known as the Dorbar which acts as the framework and structure of the administration, governing and adjudication in a community or village. Generally considered as a male dominated institute based on certain tradition, customary laws and practices. Hence, women are not allowed to participate in this governing process of the Dorbar. The study aims to give insight on why the Dorbar Shnong as a governing body continues to exclude women form the administrative process and look upon the various aspects towards women which deems them unworthy or unethical to be involve in the male centric institution of the Dorbar. The main idea behind the research is to understand the negligence of women from the Dorbar even though the Khasi are considered to be a matrilineal society. The study examined an in-depth study from the perspective of various Headman and peoples within the Khasi Hills and how they view the participation of women in the Dorbar. The study is keen upon giving a clear understanding of how different administrative body of the Dorbar deals with the concept of women being involve in the Dorbar, how women can contribute in the local governing process of the Dorbar and gives a wider understanding of the existence of gender roles within the Khasi society especially in the context of the Dorbar. The study found that different traditional councils or Dorbar have their own views and opinion regarding women participation in the Dorbar, not many by some Dorbar do include women in governing process however that are not given any political power or authority in the Dorbar. Their main role here is just providing opinion on certain issues. Some Dorbar even allow women to participate in times of electing of a new Headman but many Dorbar still continues to exclude women from this practice. The Dorbar being an evolved concept of administration in which changes are made depending on the emergences of need and requirement for change and this is still not the case in present Khasi society. Most Dorbar and the generally public still do not recognized the importance of women in such institute thus widening the gap for women participation to be completely acceptable in Khasi Society.