In Reply to: hi Freogirl posted by anada on Thursday, 6. December 2007 at 07:32 Bali Time:
"i've heard it said by Caucasian womenmarried to Balinese men, that generally the men are pretty lazy, but haven't heard it said about Balinese women "
There is a difference - even where women do the bulk of the hard physical work does not necessarily mean that the men are lazy. As you know, Balinese - and Indonesians in general - do not share the European work ethic (with exception to the Chinese who can be totally driven, and make westerners look "lazy").
I have found purely by observation that parts of Bali seem to have a traditional matriarchal system. Perhaps the current Patriarchal system has been influenced by the Dutch and other western influences, not to mention Islam. I don't know.
I've asked my husband about women doing physical labour in Indonesia (it is not restricted to Bali) and he says that women do it to a certain point, but there are certain things men do. Women might carry the rocks, but the men build the walls. Both quite physical.
I've seen men carrying terribly heavy burdens, strung across their shoulders with bamboo poles - so heavy that a woman probably couldn't lift it. Women tend to carry things that can be carried on the head. Both men and women do the backbreaking work in the rice fields.
I don't believe (by observation) that women do the bulk of the hard physical work in Bali - except child-bearing of course - but we do that everywhere.