There are a few civs in Erebus that treat the sexes equally (the Doviello probably being the best example). The Svartalfar are on the female preference side of the scale. Its not that they are strictly matriarchical, anymore than our societies are patriarchical, just that there is a general tendancy to favor females in more powerful positions.
The army is actually a mix of males and females (though we play up the female roles on the unit models because it gives the svar a distinct flavor and graphical distinction). But in more prestegious positions you are more likely to see more and more females (captains, priestesses, mages, immortals, etc).
The Svartalfar have an indentured servent caste that the bankrupt could fall into. It would be extremely rare to find a woman in this caste. Most of those are hired or find a position well before dropping this far. Those few that do will usually choose suicide or flee from the community before accepting such a degrading position. There isnt as much stigma for a male indentured servent.
