Women, Ethics of Care, and Role Ambiguity in Minangkabau Society

This study aims to explore and analyze the relationship between the ideal symbol of Bundo Kanduang in Minangkabau and the ethics of care. The ethics of care is not only a personal affective expression but also a form of social action essential for maintaining communal harmony. This study adopts a qualitative design grounded in ethnographic methods. Ethnography enables the researcher to engage directly with the community’s social life, observing daily practices and uncovering the symbolic meanings embedded within them. Data were collected through purposive interviews with Bundo Kanduang and customary leaders, participant observation in traditional events over an extended period, and systematic documentation of oral traditions. These narratives are approached as cultural texts, interpreted through an anthropological lens that highlights the ethics of care as a central value in Minangkabau society. The findings reveal that Minangkabau women enact the ethics of care in two distinct but interconnected dimensions: first as an affective orientation reflected in attentiveness to the needs of family members, particularly regarding education, and second as embodied practices including caring for ill relatives and providing childcare. Within this framework, the figure of Bundo Kanduang functions as a moral symbol that integrates gender relations, authority, and care ethics, thereby contributing to broader scholarly discussions on the interplay between gender, power, and moral practice in socio-cultural systems. However, the revitalization of the role of Bundo Kanduang must be accompanied by a broader social transformation, so that concern does not only become a gender identity but also becomes a collective foundation in building a just and civilized society.