ABSTRACT
Analyses of the relationship between economic behavior and culture have often been centered on accounts of the economic abilities of particular ethnic groups. The prominent economic roles of women and, in this particular case, the high percentage of female traders and the "feminine" characteristics of some of their trading practices raise the interesting possibility that Javanese market cultures are gendered. Certainly from a comparative perspective, kejawaan Javanese society has few of the features that restrict and constrain the economic activities of women elsewhere. Chinese family firms have been described as weak organizations that are inherently short term and unstable on the grounds that the process of accumulation and expansion cannot be sustained in the face of the disagreements that emerge among the founder's adult sons or grandsons. Children learn skills from their parents and parent's siblings, are introduced to suppliers, are provided with initial finance, and may well also take over their parent's stock.
