The parenting experiences of Japanese women married to Balinese men:

Foucus on the effects of Hinduism on child-raising

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe how Japanese women who are married to Balinese men and reside in Bali perceive their child-raising within the context of Bali-Hindu philosophy and their experience in child-raising.
Method
The researcher spent three months in Bali, Indonesia. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 11 Japanese women, then qualitatively analyzed and sorted into categories. Interviews included how Bali-Hindu philosophy affects the Japanese women's child-raising practices.
Results
Twelve categories and 39 subcategories were extracted from the data in this study. The Japanese women who settled into Balinese life gradually accepted Bali-Hinduism and they openly used folk therapy for their children. On the other hand, folk therapy was not used by the women who were less easily influenced by Hinduism. To accept Hinduism was difficult for Japanese women, even though they thought that Bali was a more appropriate environment for raising children when compared to Japan because everybody participated in child-raising. In addition, they thought that Hinduism influenced child health. Most Japanese women appreciated the Balinese family's assistance with raising their children. At the same time they felt discomfort living with Balinese extended families.A cause of the difficulty in accepting Hinduism is the idea of domination of the women by the men. Furthermore, there is a link between perceptions about how to provide a better life options to their children and challenge of having to accept Hinduism. Although the depth of acceptance was variable, they prepared themselves for bringing up their children in Bali.
Conclusion
For Japanese women who married Balinese men residing in Bali, the Bali-Hindu philosophy had a significant impact on their attitudes and on their child rearing practices.