Sunday, July 13, 2008

AYAH BUNDA (Mom and Dad)




Picture and text by Eki Qushay Akhwan

Culture plays a significant role in the creation of gender roles; and child rearing is one of the primary means with which culture produces and reproduces these roles. This is not the place for an anthropological or cultural-studies lecture about gender issues, but I hope these two snapshots can give you a general visual stimulation on how a mother and a father treat a child. Perhaps what you see here is not very different from what you see where you are. Or are they?

By the way, Ayah Bunda, the title of this post literally translates into Dad (Ayah) and Mom (Bunda) - thus, in our culture, father takes precedence over mother. In English, of course, the appropriate phrase is Mom and Dad.

6 comments:

Rambling Woods said...

Interesting post Eki. On the surface, it looks very similar to here in the states. But I would never say, "Dad and Mom". It is always "Mom" first. But here women do not earn as much as men so maybe we only "appear" to put women first...makes you think..

Anonymous said...

beautiful photos, here mom and dad are at the same level, more and more equal. The men spend more time with the family!!!!!!!than before!

Hilda said...

Looks like parents here in Metro Manila too.

But now that you mention it, ours is always nanay at tatay, mom and dad. I guess that it's just another way of saying that family's the woman's role more than it is the man's. Gender equality still has a long way to go here—mainly because education still has a long way to go here!

Virginia said...

Interesting commentary today. Yes, the mom is usually the more nurturing one and dads like to play a little rougher perhaps?

MJ said...

Eki, the 2 shots showed the difference between the 2 parent perfectly.

Mums will always carry their children facing inside as they tend to protect them.

Dads on the other hand will always carry their children facing outside as they tend to prepare them for the world.

smudgeon said...

From my own experience & that of my friends in Australia, generally dad is for fun, mum is for comfort.

Strangely, my partner & I have assumed these roles with our cat: my fiance gets all the comfort & cuddles, and all I end up with is a lot of scratches down my arm...