Cultural Post 7

[Taylor Johnson]

Attitudes about family in Ukraine are similar to the attitudes we had in America in the 1950s. The men are expected to be the breadwinners and are by default the head of the family. The women are meant to take care of the children and keep the house clean and cook meals. In villages in Ukraine, most members of the family are expected to contribute to the family in some way. If they have a farm, the kids are expected to pull their weight with chores. Often in villages, the families will form collectives to share responsibilities. In my language partner's village, each family takes a turn taking care of the villages cows, which live together in an open area of the village. There are about 40 cows to take care of, and usually you only have to work once every month or so. When it is your family's turn to work, you can expect to be busy tending to the cows from 5am to 9pm. It is a long day and a lot of responsibility, so the family usually takes on this chore together.