The Khasis are a tribal community inhabiting the state of Meghalaya in Northeast India. The word Khasi encompasses five sub – tribes or ethnic groups who are categorized as Khynriam, War, Bhoi, Lynngam, Jaintia (also known as Synteng or Pnar). Though they share common physiological traits with many of the other tribes inhabiting the region, their non-patriarchal family and kinship arrangement and Austro-Asiatic language set the Khasis and the Garos apart from the rest of the population in the region. Many of the tribes of the region are speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages and subscribe to patrilineal traditions. The Khasi society poses new examples in the gender paradigm by bestowing a unique status on women. The purpose of this paper is to understand the special and unique position of women in this society which is very different from that of the position of women in mainstream society of India. Being a tribal community the Khasi society is very different from the mainstream society of India and has to be analysed as such. The society is characterised by matrilineal customs which make it very different from the patriarchal mainstream society. Therefore this society offers a new lens through which the gender paradigm can be re – constructed and viewed.