The Role of Balinese Women — Ritual, Market, Children
Four domains of Balinese women — making Banten, running markets, childcare, and modern labor / tourism. The "hand that makes Banten" is the core of Balinese identity, while a new role emerges in the modern labor market.
Balinese women run 4 simultaneous domains — ritual (Banten making, daily canang), market (traditional Pasar), child and family care, modern labor (hotels, tourism, foreign companies). The hand that makes Banten is the core of Balinese female identity. The women traders of the Pasar are the informal backbone of Bali's economy. Yet modern dual-income, overseas labor, foreign-business involvement brings role expansion and conflict. The Balinese a foreigner most often meets — Pembantu (housekeeper), market traders, hotel staff, yoga teachers — are all women.
A. The Ritual Domain — The Hand That Makes Banten
Daily ritual (3.4.1, 3.4.2):
- Canang making begins 4–6 a.m.
- 15–30 canang per household per day
- Passed from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law
- Average Balinese woman — 5,000–10,000 canang per year
Major rituals:
- 1–2 weeks of full-time Banten work before Galungan / Nyepi
- Mapeed procession — carrying Gebogan on the head
- Tukang Banten profession (3.4.2)
Social meaning:
- A complete Balinese woman = one who makes Banten well
- Daughter-in-law assessment — Banten skill
- Learning Banten = Balinese identity
Modern challenges:
- Young women — pressed for time by jobs and study
- Rise of factory-style / semi-finished Banten
- In foreigner homes — Pembantu does the canang
- Concerns about cultural rupture — PHDI's Banten education strengthening
Sources: Hobart M., The Art and Culture of Bali (1995) · Bali Post — Banten women series
B. The Market (Pasar) Domain — Backbone of the Informal Economy
Traditional Pasar — women traders:
- 5-day rotating market (Pancawara, 3.3.1)
- 70–90% of traders are women
- Fruit, vegetables, flowers, canang materials, fish, meat
- Arrive 4 a.m., close at noon
Pasar's social role:
- Information exchange of the village
- Banjar women's network
- Meeting of economy + society + politics
Notable Pasar:
- Pasar Badung (Denpasar) — the largest
- Pasar Ubud — foreigner tourism + Balinese daily life
- Pasar Sukawati — crafts, souvenirs
- Pasar Kreneng (Denpasar night market)
Modern shifts:
- Supermarkets (Hardy's, Pepito, Bintang) — urban middle class
- Pasar Modern — modernized markets
- Online — Tokopedia, Gojek groceries
- Traditional Pasar preserved among rural / older populations
Women traders' income:
- Rp 200K–1M in daily sales
- Monthly net Rp 3–15M
- Contribute 30–60% of household income
- Balinese women's economic power — stronger than the Indonesian average
Sources: Bali Post — Pasar series · Howe L., The Changing World of Bali (2005)
C. The Child / Family Domain
Childcare (4.3.3):
- Mothers carry babies until age 3
- Canang making and childcare in tandem
- Help from mothers-in-law, aunts, grandmothers
- Banjar neighbor women share
Family management:
- Caring for parents-in-law (traditional)
- Husband's meals, laundry, housework
- Family-temple (Sanggah) ritual
- Finance — controlled by father-in-law or husband (traditional, weaker today)
Extended family:
- Pembantu (housekeeper) — Balinese households, foreigner homes
- Pembantu also women — from rural Bali / Java
- Joint childcare network
Modern motherhood:
- Dual-income mothers common in cities
- 1–2 children — birth rate 1.95 (2.3.2)
- Education investment up — overseas-study target
- Childcare divided among mother, grandmother, Pembantu
Source: Geertz H. & Geertz C., Kinship in Bali (1975)
D. The Modern Labor Domain — Tourism, Foreign Companies
Tourism-industry women:
- Hotel housekeeping, front desk, F&B
- Restaurant servers, cooks
- Spa, massage (Ubud, Seminyak)
- Yoga instructors (especially Ubud)
- Souvenir, craft sales
Wages:
- Hotel housekeeping — UMR (local minimum, 5.5) Rp 2.8–3.5M / month
- Spa therapist — Rp 3–6M
- Yoga instructor — Rp 5–15M (foreigner clients)
- Hotel manager — Rp 10–30M+
Foreign companies / PMA:
- English speakers — Marketing, HR, Admin
- Sales, customer service
- Wages — Rp 5–25M
- Canggu, Seminyak new foreigner cafes / boutiques — many female operators
Self-employed women:
- Small restaurants (Warung) — Ibu Oka (Babi Guling Ubud) famous
- Cafes, boutiques — wealthy Balinese women / foreigner collaborations
- Yoga, wellness (Ubud)
- Instagram influencers — new generation
Overseas labor:
- Hotel industry in Australia, New Zealand
- Middle East (Saudi Arabia, UAE) housekeepers — Javanese centric, few Balinese
- Taiwan, Hong Kong housekeepers
- Japan, Korea work visas — some medical fields
Sources: The Jakarta Post — Bali women labor coverage · BPS — women's labor statistics
E. The Foreigner's View — Relations with Balinese Women
1. The Balinese most often met — women
- Pembantu (housekeeper) — 90%+ of foreigner homes
- Hotel / restaurant staff
- Yoga / massage instructors
- Market traders
- Cafe / boutique operators
2. Relations with a Pembantu
- Wage — Rp 2–4M / month (full-time)
- Plus meals, transport
- Ritual leave secured
- Family-member status — 5–10 years
- De facto co-parent of foreigner children
3. Yoga / wellness instructors
- Many foreigner instructors in Ubud
- Balinese-women instructors — first generation mentored by Korean / Japanese expats
- English-fluent, professional
- Foreigner + Balinese students
4. Daily life in markets
- Bargaining (Tawar Menawar) — Balinese standard
- Bule Price (foreigner price, 5.5.2) — initially 30–50% higher
- Becomes normal once familiar
- Using some Balinese — trust signal
5. Foreigner businesswomen
- Canggu, Seminyak — many foreigner-women cafes, boutiques, yoga
- Hire Balinese-women staff
- Possible entry into Balinese women's business networks
- Mutual respect — Balinese women welcome it
6. Marriage / relationship
- Foreigner women + Balinese men marriages — rising
- Foreigner men + Balinese women — also many
- Cultural differences — family duty, ritual
- Balinese women's housework / childcare load — adaptation needed for foreigner husbands
The Secret of Balinese Women's Economic Power — Balinese household finance is traditionally said to be controlled by husband (father-in-law), but women decide much of it in practice. Pasar income, Banten cost, child education, household consumption are mostly decided by women. Decisively different from Java / Sumatra (husband-led Islamic households). The relative autonomy of Balinese women is one reason Bali is more comfortable for foreigner business, marriage, and life than Java. Women's active role in Pawongan (people relations) of Tri Hita Karana (2.4.2) is the foundation of Bali's egalitarian flavor.
Quick Summary
| Domain | Activity |
|---|---|
| Ritual | Banten · canang · Mapeed · Tukang Banten |
| Market | 70–90% of Pasar traders are women |
| Children | Mother, mother-in-law, aunt — joint childcare |
| Hotels / tourism | Housekeeping · F&B · Spa · Yoga |
| Foreign companies | Marketing · HR · Admin |
| Self-employed | Restaurant · cafe · boutique · yoga |
| Overseas labor | Some in Australia, Japan, Taiwan |
| Foreigner contact | Pembantu · instructors · traders · colleagues |
Sources / References
- Wiki — Women in Indonesia · Bali
- Official — BPS Bali — women's labor statistics · Ministry of Women's Empowerment · Bali Provincial Government
- News — Bali Post — women series · The Jakarta Post — Bali women's labor · Tempo — Balinese women entrepreneurs
- Academic — Hobart M. (ed.), The Art and Culture of Bali (1995); Howe L., The Changing World of Bali (Routledge, 2005); Geertz H. & Geertz C., Kinship in Bali (Chicago, 1975); Hauser-Schäublin B., Traditional Indonesian Polities (Routledge, 2013); Picard M., Bali: Cultural Tourism and Touristic Culture (Archipelago Press, 1996)
