Читать книгу Intercultural Interactions for Health Professions / Interkulturelle Begegnungen in Gesundheitsberufen (E-Book) - Samuel van den Bergh - Страница 8

Mr and Mrs Bhavin, an Indian couple that moved to Switzerland a couple of months ago due to Mr Bhavin’s promotion in a multinational information technology company. They are at the University hospital in Zurich for their third baby. The grandmother brings along the two sisters of the newborn baby and they are asked to wait outside the delivery room until labour is over. The couple are both excited and curious about the gender of their third baby as the ultrasound was not able to detect the genitals of the foetus during the pregnancy.

After a few hours, Mrs Bhavin gives birth to a baby girl. The midwife congratulates the couple on the newborn baby, but they seem unhappy. Mr Bhavin then leaves the room without saying a word. His wife looks disappointed and is left alone taking care of the baby.

Mr Bhavin is then seen talking to his mother. After the conversation, the mother’s expression changes. The midwife feels that there is something wrong and hence she asks Mr Bhavin if any help is required. However, he just replies things are fine with them.

The midwife invites the grandmother and the children to see the newborn. The children are excited to see their sister, but their grandmother looks worried. The midwife is very confused to see the whole situation because she expects the couple to be rejoicing at the sight of their newborn baby.

If you were the midwife, what would you think explains the reaction of Mr Bhavin best?

Please select the alternative(s) which likely explain(s) his behaviour

1.Mr Bhavin is just behaving like a typical Indian who does not show affection openly to his wife.

2.Mr Bhavin is worried that the family could face monetary problems due to an additional daughter.

3.Mrs Bhavin and her mother-in-law are not on good terms. Therefore, Mr Bhavin tries not to show concern to his wife in the presence of his mother. In Indian culture, elderly women are highly respected.

4.Mr Bhavin is dissatisfied with the hospital service. So, he just shares his dissatisfaction with his mother.

Analysis

1.Hugging or kissing in public in India is often frowned upon and is considered a strictly private matter as it displays affection (Purnell, 2014). This seems to be a possible answer, but it does not explain the reaction of the grandmother. There is a better explanation for this incident. Please look further.

2.This is the most likely explanation. According to Murat (2013) India has a long tradition of practising dowry; it is defined as a cash gift that parents must give to the groom and his family at the time of their daughter’s marriage. In the modern context, the dowry system places great financial burden on the bride’s parents as it often exceeds the annual income of the household (Bloch & Rao, 2002). This tradition leads to impoverishment of some families who are not rich. Dowry payments have come to be known as the number one reason for parents to want sons rather than daughters (Anderson, 2004; Murat, 2013). In this incident, Mr and Mrs Bhavin already have two daughters; the additional daughter will add an extra financial burden to the family. In addition, most of the families prefer to have sons rather than daughters because the birth of a son is a blessing as the son carries the family name and is expected to take care of the parents in their old age (Galanti, 2004). In India, gender is often a factor for ascribed status (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 2012). Other factors can be age, family background, wealth, social class, educational level, castes etc.

3.This could be a possibility, but there is no indication that this is the case. As explained in the paragraph above on Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s (2012) ascription versus achievement, status is attributed to a person not exclusively by gender, social status or education, but also age. Although men are considered important, grandmothers and mothers are at the centre of Indian society. Often older people are deemed to have superior wisdom and so are treated with reverence and respect (Purnell, 2009). If this is the reason, it is fitting for Mr Bhavin to respect his mother by not showing affection or concern to his wife, at least until the conflict between the two women is over. However, it is not mentioned in the incident that the women had a conflict earlier. There is a more appropriate answer.

4.This is not the best answer, but there is a nugget of truth as most Indians generally do not share their thoughts and feelings with anyone not close to the family (Purnell, 2014). In addition, Asians are generally more sensitive about not making others uncomfortable and may think that a direct comment of displeasure would be too embarrassing (Cushner & Brislin, 1996). Please choose again.