Modern-day matriarchs

The Conversation

Traditionally women often take on much of the responsibility for practical and emotional support for a family as well as passing on family knowledge and traditions. But is the role still relevant? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to women from Canada and the UK about being a modern matriarch.

All her life, Helen Knott has looked to the strong women in her indigenous community for guidance, absorbed their stories and admired their independence. When her mother and grandmother died she tried to step into the roles they'd held in community. Her book Becoming a Matriarch is a love letter to the eldest daughters of families who often carry invisible responsibilities.

Tanika Gupta is an award-winning playwright British playwright whose work celebrates her Bengali culture and often challenges gender and race stereotypes. She has worked across theatre, television, radio and film. Her latest play A Tupperware Of Ashes is about a restaurateur with dementia and the impact on her three children of looking after her. Tanika wrote the play after her own mother died from cancer. It will be screened internationally by the National Theatre later this year.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Tanika Gupta credit Oscar May. (R) Helen Knott courtesy Duckworth Books.)