Sexism, Java Style

At the Sultan’s Palace today, Roy told us the Javanese philosophy of proper gender behavior.

To be a perfect man, you need five things:

Garwa: a wife
Gria: a house
Turangga: a horse
Curiga: a dagger (symbolizes security in money, a job, in everything)
Kikilo: a bird

Roy said, “A man without a bird is useless.”

To be a perfect woman, you need just three things:

Machak: tend to your beauty
Masak: know how to cook
Mlumah: fertility

I asked, “If she does all that, can she also have a career?”

Roy replied, “What she’s doing at home is more than a job.”

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