India has undergone a massive cultural shift since its independence in 1947. People are standing up for human rights, fighting against oppressive traditions and acknowledging disruptive systems like casteism and patriarchy. One of the most prominent cultural shifts can be seen in the gender-based decision-making in India and its family system. This is best depicted through the evolution of family structures in Indian cinema. When you dig deeper, you can clearly trace the evolution of gender equality in decision-making in Indian families.
Evolution of parental gender roles and decision-making in India
Family structures portrayed in Indian cinema are the best way to highlight parental gender roles in India. In retrospect, in what was once a male-dominated space with fathers and husbands shouting orders left and right, the contemporary Indian family makes space for conversation. While not every bahu (daughter-in-law) has managed to get a seat at the table, there are plenty of women who now have more decision-making powers in an Indian household. The fight for gender equality in India has come far. Let’s look at how parental gender roles in Indian families and their decision-making in India have evolved since the country’s independence in 1947.
Cultural factors affecting gender-based decision-making in Indian families
Until about a few decades ago, financial management was the father’s job. He had to earn, budget and save for the future. However, this in no way stopped the mother from saving secretly too. A pouch on her waist or a rice jar in the kitchen would become her personal bank for emergencies. Family structures in India were built on secrecy. Even today, this hasn’t changed. While dads save for their family’s futures, moms budget for their children’s pleasure. In most Indian families, a secret candy binge or a dress for their little one’s birthday has only been possible because the mom made a financial decision.
Traditionally, the mother was expected to take care of the children’s needs within the home and be obedient to her husband. This means she could decide what to cook, what her kids would wear and what their playtime was. The rest was up to the father. An father’s powers surrounding decision-making in India were all-encompassing and final. He decided their family’s cultural values, their children’s relationships and careers, the family’s finances and so on. The mother would merely be a guardian of these rules and ensure that they were reinforced. You would even hear her defend his extreme rules in social gatherings. There are plenty of rural Indian households where this hasn’t changed. However, Indian urban nuclear families where both parents work are witnessing a power shift.
The matriarch vs the patriarch – what influences their decision-making in India today?
Indian society and its family system have seen a drastic change in the past decade. Urban nuclear families are tipping the scales in favour of gender-based equality concerning familial decision-making in India. However, the thought process that influences these decisions hasn’t changed. For instance, financial decisions. A father’s investment decisions will be guided by a consideration for his children’s future. A mother, on the other hand, has grown up as a woman modelling a more nurturing attitude and will focus on the child’s present-day needs. While she may understand the need to plan ahead, she might put it aside to fulfil the child’s current desire, even if it is not extremely crucial.
Years of cultural conditioning have created a division of perspectives between the matriarch and the patriarch. Even when they both have equal decision-making powers, they may not be in consensus over the reasoning for a particular problem’s solution. Patriarchs are expected to be leaders and make rational decisions, whereas matriarchs are conditioned to make emotional decisions that take everyone’s opinions into consideration. This processing pattern is ingrained into every Indian individual. Despite gender equality in India, it may continue to impact parental decision-making for at least a few decades to come. However, as times change and cultural expectations slowly fade, one might see a shift in gender roles that ultimately affect decision-making too.
