Many Solo women face great struggles in their lives<\/p>\n
Text by Singgir Kartana, photos by Ali Budiman<\/p>\n
SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Surakarta, better known as Solo,
\nis famous for its beautiful women, a phenomenon that inspired the
\nlate Ismail Marzuki to compose Putri Solo (Girl from Solo).<\/p>\n
The Javanese song, which met with great success when it was
\ncovered by Waljinah in the 1970s, is filled with adoration for
\nthe beauty, cultured mind and refined behavior of a woman from
\nSolo, an attitude much in line with the customs of Javanese
\nnobility. The song also popularized the stereotype that the ethos
\nof hard work and the ability to demonstrate resoluteness and
\nconcern were absolutely absent from the women of Solo.<\/p>\n
In reality, however, many Solo women face great struggles in
\ntheir lives. And many of these women can be found doing jobs most
\npeople consider suitable only for men, or not suitable at all.<\/p>\n
Endang, 30, a mother of two from Karanganyar, Solo regency, is
\none such woman. Along with dozens of women from her village,
\nEndang earns a living quarrying sand on Matesih hill, not far
\nfrom her home. Every day she treks up and down the 60-meter hill,
\ncovering a length of some 500 meters, to break rocks with a
\nsimple tool so she can collect a layer of sand. Every time she
\ngoes down the hill, she carries a bag of sand weighing about 50
\nkilograms.<\/p>\n
Her small, firm stature and dark skin reflect the bitter
\nstruggles she has faced in life.<\/p>\n
Although the women quarrying sand generally weigh less than 50
\nkilograms, barefooted they trudge up and down the hill about 20
\ntimes per day. The 60-meter path up the hill is not straight and
\nsloping, but rather is narrow, winding, steep and rocky. In the
\nwet season, this path is slippery, making the bags of sand these
\nwomen carry feel even heavier than their 50 kilograms.<\/p>\n
The women work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with an hour of rest
\nduring their long day. From morning to afternoon they are soaked
\nin sweat from their toil. To maintain their stamina they drink a
\nlot of water, about three to four liters a day, and during their
\none-hour break they massage one another, an activity which gives
\nthem some entertainment.<\/p>\n
On average these women have been doing this work for 15 years.
\nGenerally they chose this work because they wanted to remain
\nclose to their families, and also because they believed the only
\nrequirement for the job was a healthy body.<\/p>\n
Endang, the youngest of the women working on the hill, said
\nshe continued working when she was eight-months pregnant.<\/p>\n
\"I have been doing this job since I graduated from elementary
\nschool. I don't want to work in the city. I cannot leave my
\nchildren. No one takes care of them, you know. Besides, my
\nhusband is in the city working at a construction site,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Compared to the standard wages in their village, Endang and
\nthe rest of the women do not earn much. One 50-kg bag of sand is
\nsold for Rp 200. If these women go up and down the hill twenty
\ntimes in a day, they earn Rp 4,000.<\/p>\n
Garbage<\/p>\n
There are many other women engaged in similarly difficult
\nwork. Some women earn money as scavengers at garbage dumps, while
\nothers work as porters at Pasar Legi.<\/p>\n
Mojosongo, the largest garbage dump here, was established in
\n1985 and occupies 30 hectares of land. Every day some 1,500 tons
\nof garbage is dumped at this site: rotten vegetables, paper,
\nplastics, metal goods, leaves and even carcasses. Also, liquid
\nwaste from the solid garbage collects here.<\/p>\n
It is easy to imagine the putrid smell of this place, and yet
\nthe reality is much worse. This smell, a host of flies and
\nmosquitoes, liquid waste which can cause skin irritations and the
\nintense heat all combine to make this site extremely unhealthy,
\nmaking it impossible to remain at the dump for any length of
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, a number of women, as well as some men, do spend
\nsome time here each day, scavenging through the garbage to make a
\nliving. Tukiyem, 25, a mother of one from Kampung Jatirejo, for
\nexample, said she had gotten used to the most distasteful
\nconditions at the dump. The smell, the liquid waste and the
\nintense heat have never deterred her from picking through the
\ngarbage in order to survive.<\/p>\n
\"At first, the smell could make my head swim and my stomach
\nturn, but now it no longer does. Well, of course, I still feel an
\nitch on my feet if they are exposed to the filthy liquid waste.
\nLuckily, a doctor from the local health center comes here once a
\nweek and examines us free of charge. This way we are kept from
\nserious illness,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Tukiyem has more scavenging experience than the other five
\nwomen making their rounds. According to her, she began scavenging
\nin 1985, just after the site was opened. Because she lives
\nnearby, she can do this work full time.<\/p>\n
Armed with baskets, thin iron rods with hooked ends, worn-out
\nboots and faded conical hats, these women scavenge through the
\nfoul-smelling garbage with great patience, separating valuable
\nitems from worthless ones.<\/p>\n
Plastic and cardboard are the most sought after by Sarinah,
\none of Tukiyem's fellow scavengers.<\/p>\n
\"Plastic sells for the most, followed by cardboard. After I
\ncollect the items, I take them to a buyer not far from here.
\nPlastic garbage sells for Rp 150 per kilogram while cardboard
\nsells for Rp 100 per kilo. In a day, I can collect some 15
\nkilograms of plastic garbage and about five kilograms of
\ncardboard,\" said Sarinah, 40.<\/p>\n
Women porters<\/p>\n
Just like the women collecting sand or scavenging at the dump,
\nwomen porters at Pasar Legi lead a similarly difficult life,
\nhauling goods on their backs for short distances. There are some
\n30 women between the ages of 20 and 40 working as porters at the
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
Sumirah, 32, from Nayu hamlet, North Solo, has worked here for
\na decade. The elementary school dropout and mother of three says
\nshe can carry up to 120 kilos of goods; she weighs less than 50
\nkilos.<\/p>\n
She can do about 10 rounds each day, earning Rp 1,000 every
\ntime she carries goods weighing 100 kilos or more. For goods
\nweighing less than 100 kilos, she earns Rp 700. For a day that
\nlasts from 6 a.m. to about 4 p.m., Sumirah earns an average of Rp
\n10,000.<\/p>\n
\"To be able to carry goods that weigh a lot, the goods must be
\nplaced in a slanted position and then our body must be bent. In
\nthis way, the weight will be less,\" she said.<\/p>\n
To maintain her strength, Sumirah occasionally drinks
\ntraditional herbal medicine. Besides the herbal medicine, Sumirah
\nsays that she has sex with her husband almost daily, saying this
\nwas her only form of entertainment and also a good way to relieve
\nher fatigue.<\/p>\n
Sumirah and the other women porters took this job because they
\nhad no other options, yet all of the women hope their children
\nwill have brighter futures filled with the opportunities they
\nnever had. Therefore, despite her financial difficulties, Sumirah
\nwants to give her children the best education possible so they
\ncan do better with their lives.<\/p>\n
Endang, Tukiyem, Sumirah and many others toiling in
\ndispiriting jobs are portraits of \"sturdy\" and \"robust\" women.
\nThey are simple and modest enough to accept their lot without
\nsurrendering to fate. They care nothing for the new millennium,
\nthe gender struggle, emancipation and other such things. The
\nbiggest gifts are from God and their greatest happiness is having
\nenough to eat today. Tomorrow is another day. These women are
\nstrong and sturdy in the real sense of the words.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/many-solo-women-face-great-struggles-in-their-lives-1447893297",
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