The Value of Women

Abstract

In conversations with older people on Lamotrek, it becomes clear that relationships based on the partnership that should prevail between men and women must not be publicly displayed by walking about hand in hand (Field Notes 12/2006). The impulse to display such affection appears to be stimulated by western concepts in recent times. For the older people on the island, the gender-specific division of labour is an expression of the omnipresent sharing. Through the individualisation brought about by Christianity and westernisation, which emphasises the relatively powerful position of every single person and leaves little room for clan relationships, the gender relationship gets caught in a process of change. Thereby, the developmental processes seem to function illogically as will be seen in the following section.