Apparently in parts of rural Thailand and Laos there is some pressure on women to maintain traditional dress to carry on the culture of the village, while the men have largely abandonded traditonal garb. The women are very strong here - although small of stature, they are able to carry rice on thier heads, babes at thier breasts, and also the culture on their backs! !! Go girls!
The same can be said for Bolivian women. While almost all men have adpoted a western style of dress, even in the city, many a Bolivian woman still wears traditional garb of a full skirt, a lacy top and a bowler or sunhat perched on top of decorated black plaits. (This city lady has dropped the traditional woollen stockings and sensible shoes in favour of bare legs and heels.) The outfit is completed with a bright bundle on her back. The bundles may be used to carry a baby, the day's shopping, or in the case of a couple of old women we saw in the country, a load of wood. Here, as well as in South East Asia, it's the women who have the culture on their backs ...
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