Gender Roles in Moso

The Moso is a society that still maintains matrilineal system, which is a rare and unusual practice nowadays in contemporary urban societies. In Moso, all ancestors are traced back through the female line instead of the father's side. Male relatives, regardless whether he is a child's biological father or not, are called uncle. A family properties are inherited through the female line. Men seem to have less authority in dealing with family matters. That is why Moso has been depicted as “a kingdom of women”. This essay will try to argue that women are not superior to men in Moso. The essay will first delve into the gender roles, which refers to roles assigned by culture to the biological differentiation of the sexes, performed in family and economic aspects, followed by some major restrictions imposed on women in order to show that male and female are both equally important in this society. Men and women perform their own duties, which are organized in a balanced way, in Moso households. There is a female administrator called Dabu in each family. Dabu, who is chosen by other family members to manage and distribute earnings. She is believed to be the most capable person among all family members and is revered by others. Indeed, Dabu is not the only member who holds authority in the household. A research pointed out that men are supposed to give support to female in the matrilineal society. For instance, uncles, the closest male relative of the children, play