Women in Hani

Women in Hani have always had a greater share of equality in comparison to their male counterparts, a sharp contrast to the situation within the rest of its neighbors in Southeast Asia and East Asia. While not matriarchal, Han society is both matrilineal and matrilocal. While men traditionally worked and provided income for the household, they were distant from other family members, and women typically headed their respective households and managed all their finances and made all the decisions. However, despite other positive indicators such as high political participation, and equality in legal rights and education, there are still issues including but not limited to; underrepresentation in specific occupations, and social stigmatization of divorce and sexual expression.