Sonam Chuki, Lecturer

Aum Changlom lives in Thimphu. Her husband is recently transferred from a Geog to the capital. Changlom is from a village in rural Bhutan. She is a high school drop out; actually received formal education till class eight. While in school, she met the newly posted local rural extension worker. Their friendship soon blossomed into a love affair. Changlom eloped with the man at the age of eighteen. Soon she had one child after another and got busy with child bearing and rearing. At present, Changlom is a mother of six children, four boys and two girls. Her family keeps her busy throughout the day.

Every day she starts her routine around 5:30 and 6:00AM. After a quick wash up, she sweeps their two-bed room flat, waters her collection of flowers and plants, cooks breakfast, wakes her four school going children up and gets them ready for the school. In addition, she is a religious person and never misses offering the daily water and incense at the small family altar. During the auspicious days like the Guru and Khandum days, she makes it a point to make Tshog and butter lamp offerings. She also devotes at least half an hour to say special prayer for the family’s well being. Then she has to serve breakfast to her husband and help him wear his Gho. She still has a two and half year old baby girl and a four-year-old son to attend to. After doing the dishes, she gives bath to the baby and feeds both the children.

They live in a neighborhood where there is a frequent water problem. So, Changlom has to fetch water from a common water tap, which is located about 15 minutes walk from her flat. This demands time and energy. In the evenings when her four older children return from school, she does not have to worry about this. However, in the afternoons and during the children’s exams she creates time for this. But Changlom is a hardworking woman. To supplement the family’s income, she brews ara and sells doma through the neighbor’s grocery shop. Sometimes, she even weaves shopping baskets of various sizes for sell. Occasionally, she receives guests and entertains them. She prepares evening tea and supper. When the other members of the family are watching TV and sleeping, Changlom and her eldest child do the dishes and clean up. So, she goes to bed only at 10:00PM. But Changlom and her husband know that she does not work. Her husband works but she is just a housewife.

Breaking the Stereotpye

Changlom’s story presents a gender stereotype, which is so deeply ingrained in our minds. Generally speaking, men are often viewed as the breadwinners and women as dependents. Women’s roles are perceived as child bearers, mothers and housekeepers. Such construction of women’s roles derives from the dominant understandings of gender roles prescribed by the society. According to literature, gender refers to the perceptions of appropriate behaviour, appearance and attitude for women and men that arise from social and cultural expectations. The socialization process of gender is influenced by social norms, values, traditional practices, culture, religious faith and moral of the society. Every culture has its ways of valuing girls and boys and assigning them different roles, responses and attitudes. All the social and cultural attributes that is given for girls and boys from birth onwards is “gendering”. In addition, parents, teachers, friends and other members of the society play a vital role to the socialization process of gender.

In the traditional Bhutanese context, the perception of women as wives, mothers, homemakers, caregivers and nurturers exists. This role is not accounted for as “work”. Changlom is busy throughout the day, yet she knows that she does not work. Her informal activities such as brewing ara, weaving basket and making doma to earn extra income is not counted as work. This implies that men’s work is formally assessed and counted in the national statistic and accounting system. But women’s informal work is not recognized as work. Instead, women like Changlom are busy raising children, carrying out household tasks and making money for the family outside the formal economic sector. Such work is nameless in nature as it is not included in the national census.

Changlom admits that her husband works. This understanding is dominant in many developing societies. Like Changlom’s husband, men have more visible and recognized roles than women. This is because men are paid for their productive work and women are not. Men do not usually perform domestic or household chores. Even if they have community management roles, these tend to involve political organizations and leadership. On the contrary, women in most societies have three roles. They engage in production of goods for consumption or income through work in or outside the home. They involve in reproductive role in the form of domestic and household activities associated with rearing and sustaining children and family. Furthermore, women participate in community management activities such as tasks and responsibilities carried out for the benefit of the community. Hence, women have to strike a balance to the demands of these three different roles. However, the triple roles that they perform do not normally earn them an income. Women are often defined exclusively in terms of their reproductive roles, which largely concern activities related with their reproductive functions. Changlom’s daily activities suggest she is seen as a wife and a mother. In addition, women’s reproductive roles coupled with their community management roles are perceived as natural. Since these roles do not earn income, they are not recognized and valued as economically productive. Thus, women’s contribution to national socio economic development is often invisible and not quantified.

But in reality, like Changlom in many less industrialized societies women carry out income generating activities through small flower and vegetable gardening and handicraft making. According to Gender Pilot Study Report, kitchen garden and livestock activities are dominant amongst the rural Bhutanese women. Moreover, the study has found out that the rural women not only involve in main economic activities but also contribute as chief workers for the supplementary activities. Though the men in urban areas are primary income earners, women make additional income for the family (Planning Commission et al. 2001: 10).

Gender roles and responsibilities vary among cultures and can change over time. In India for instance, unskilled labor is considered as “women’s work”. While in Africa, it is regarded as “men’s work”. And in West European countries and United States, men’s contribution to domestic chores is becoming increasingly significant and visible. Here in Bhutan there is no visible trend of men making contribution to the house hold activities. Our tradition and culture have attributed domestic activities as the domain of womenfolk. Nevertheless, under the process of modern development, this tradition is changing. The socio cultural change is slow but it has a certain degree of impact on the prevailing mindset in our country.

Reference:
Planning Commission and Central Statistical Office, Royal Government of Bhutan, and UNDP, UNICEF, WFP; Bhutan Country Office (2001) Gender Pilot Study Report

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