The Tatar's social structure remains strongly patriarchal. The father is the head of the household, and his word is final. He is in charge of the family income and determines how it is spent. The women usually cook meals, carry water, wash clothes, and tend to the livestock. Today, many Tatar will identify themselves as Muslims before they will identify themselves as Tatar.
Men pray in the mosque under a prayer leader, when possible.
Women usually pray at home, but if they do worship at the mosque, they are separated from the men. The Tatar view of Christianity has been marred by the attempts of the Russian Orthodox Church to convert them through force and tax incentives. During the nineteenth century, their mosques were frequently burned or destroyed. It may never be known how many lives have been ruined or shortened by this disaster. The number of cases of cancer and birth defects has skyrocketed.