SHILLONG, June 22: Senior female legislator in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Dr M Ampareen Lyngdoh, has argued that the political empowerment of women remains far more complex than social indicators may suggest, contending that success in governance often requires women to adapt to entrenched power structures rather than transform them.
Speaking during a conversation with Rushoti Mukherjee, Lyngdoh challenged the widely held perception that Meghalaya’s matrilineal social structure automatically translates into political influence for women. Her remarks assume significance as women continue to remain underrepresented in the State’s legislature, with only four women among the 60 members of the Assembly.
While Meghalaya is often cited as an example of female empowerment because lineage, inheritance and family identity traditionally pass through women, Lyngdoh argued that the advantages associated with matriliny do not necessarily extend to the sphere of governance.
“Women who move forward and succeed in politics forget their gender as women,” she said, suggesting that political success frequently requires adapting to systems historically shaped by male-dominated structures of authority.
According to Lyngdoh, women who rise through the ranks of politics are often expected to conform to existing models of leadership rather than reshape them. As a result, she argued, the increasing presence of women in public office does not automatically lead to institutional transformation.
She described this as a paradox of political representation, where the pressures of political survival can compel women leaders to adjust to the very structures they enter rather than challenge them.
Her observations also questioned the assumption that social empowerment and political empowerment are inherently linked. While women occupy a central role in Meghalaya’s family and social structures, she maintained that political institutions continue to operate according to a different set of norms and expectations.
Lyngdoh further argued that the presence of women in positions of authority should not be viewed as evidence that governance structures have fundamentally changed.
“The challenge for women in politics is not simply getting a seat at the table. It is navigating a system that continues to demand adaptation from those who seek to exercise power within it,” she said.
Her remarks contribute to a broader national debate on whether increasing women’s representation in elected office is sufficient to transform governance, or whether deeper institutional changes are necessary to achieve meaningful gender parity in political decision-making.
Meghalaya’s Matriliny Does Not Translate Into Political Equality: Ampareen
