INTRODUCTION

In order to arrive at a deeper understanding of the household economy and the process of differentiation evidently occurring at the village level, more intensive “case studies” were then made of sixteen village households. These sixteen were chosen according to three criteria: that of stratification, that is, according to the household types senang, sedang and susah, identified earlier; that of variability, that is, where possible, with different family structures, and thirdly, the limits of the possible were set by personal access and the availability of a family member willing and able to fill in the questionnaires and answer diverse other questions. These sample households were not chosen by me but by my adoptive father in the village, according to the parameters set above. As such, they may reflect his personal friendships in the village; on the whole, however, they seem to be fairly representative of the village households, and care was taken to include households from both the major political factions in the village.

Data collected on these sample households is of three kinds:

1. biographical

2. income and expenditure data

3. time utilization data

To begin this chapter, an introduction of the various households with the biographies of the household heads, followed by an examination of their budgetary and labour utilization patterns, is in order.

THE LIFE HISTORIES

Senang Households

We shall begin this series of household portraits with the well-to-do households and appropriately then, with Ahmad D, the largest landowner in the village. He owns a total of 12.75 re of padi land, operates altogether 17.5 re and estimates that every padi season nets him a profit of $5000, certainly a not inconsiderable sum. What does a well-to-do man do with his money?

In 1968, he made his first major investment with the construction of a house which would cost at current prices at least $15,000. In 1970 he bought a pedestrian tractor in partnership with his brother.