What is the Point of Arisan Ibu-Ibu?

What is arisan?

Wiki says that an arisan is a form of Rotating Savings and Credit Association in Indonesian culture, a form of Microfinance.

Arisan have been known in Indonesia since the early 1960s. Through the regular social gatherings, members contribute and take turns to win a sum of money. For members of high-society, an arisan is a good way to promote their business.  

Some people say that the main purpose of arisan is not the arisan activity, but the social gathering. It's about keeping good silaturrahim (familial relationship) and also maintaining relationship with other group members.

Well...I know that maintaining silaturrahim is important. But...is it true that arisan, especially arisan ibu-ibu is giving added values to our life? :D

That men and women are on different frequencies when it comes to communicating is probably not news to us. A sociolinguists, Deborah Tannen, who has written a book called You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation observed that:

"For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around; you use talk to preserve your independence. Females, on the other hand, use conversation to negotiate closeness and intimacy; talk is the essence of intimacy, so being best friends means sitting and talking. For boys, activities, doing things together, are central. Just sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship. They're friends with the boys they do things with."

Let's back to reality...Is it possible to find a group of women sitting together, drinking tea, eating cake, but not talking? Errrr..... =)).

It is an unfortunate fact when any group of women get together, there tends to be a fair bit of gossip about mutual friends, colleagues, or even celebrities. It might be a comment about someone’s appearance, a joke at someone’s personal life, or an opinion about their circumstances. Whether you like to admit it or not, every woman gossips and it's not always nice.

But why do women gossip? Boredom, jealousy, or is it some deep-seated anthropological need? John L. Locke, author of Duels and Duets certainly believes the latter. Locke said: 

When women are trading in intimate disclosures about themselves and their friends, they’re fortifying a relationship. 

 

So.. what is the point of arisan ibu-ibu? :D

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