Women's role<\/p>\n
The report by Ms. Linawati Sidarto entitled Women bear
\nheaviest burden (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 29) was interesting and
\ndeserves a comment.<\/p>\n
In an agricultural society there is a division of labor in the
\nfamily. The men do the harder works which require stronger
\nmuscles such as hoeing, plowing as well as carrying the seeds and
\nharvest. Whereas women do the lighter jobs requiring more care,
\nlike sowing the seeds, doing the post harvest work and selling
\nthe agricultural products. These chores are in addition to
\nshopping, cooking for the family and taking food to the paddy-
\nfields for the men's lunches. They also have to take care of
\ntheir children.<\/p>\n
In such a way of life men have more opportunities to
\ncommunicate with each other in the fields where their routine
\nwork is relatively more specific in nature. While women are
\nconcerned with the whole family life: listening for the cries of
\ntheir children, taking care of their health, etc. Women are the
\nones who are most knowledgeable of the family's financial
\ncondition.<\/p>\n
Also the women are fully aware of the burden of their
\nhusbands, who usually toil under the staunch heat of the sun and
\nare deeply concerned about them during lightning storms. They
\nwait patiently and will only eat after their husbands arrive at
\nhome and all their children get fed, as a token of love of and
\nresponsibility for the whole family. So women are not really
\nsacrificed by being assigned to bear the heaviest burden as
\ndescribed by Ishak from the State Institute of Islamic Religion
\n(IAIN Alaudin).<\/p>\n
However, the state of affairs changed when society entered the
\nera of industry and trade early in the period of the New Order.
\nMost people, particularly civil servants and military personnel,
\nstill carry on with the division of labor customs of the
\nagricultural community.<\/p>\n
Social communications are more influenced by profession than
\ngeographical setting. Then women who are not the bread-winners
\nhave limited communications within the family circles and a small
\nnumber of their husbands' office friends.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, the husbands have wider relationships
\nthrough contacts with colleagues, business relations and
\ninteractions with other institutions. More importantly. husbands
\nnow control the financial affairs and are dominant in family
\nlife. While the wives can only control the official income of
\ntheir husbands. Extra income, gained particularly through
\ncorruption and collusion, is totally beyond the wives'
\nsupervision. In such situations, wives are completely incapable
\nof controlling their husbands' behaviors.<\/p>\n
To improve the situation, women deemed it necessary to enlarge
\ntheir communication network in their husbands' offices, and this
\nresulted in the establishment of Dharma Wanita (association of
\nemployees' wives and female civil servants). In this organization
\nwomen can assume control over their husbands' behaviors and make
\nthem keep treading the right track.<\/p>\n
One of the most important government rulings was decree No. 10
\nwhich prohibits men from practicing polygamy.<\/p>\n
What concerns us most nowadays is that there is a strong
\ntendency to show religious (Islam) identity. Unfortunately Islam
\nis perceived as Fiqh Law (juris prudence) and Arabization which
\npractically serves as an obstacle for emancipation and women's
\nbasic rights such as rights to work, receive inheritance, and
\nassuming leadership, etc.<\/p>\n
Another concern is the possibility that women are, for
\nreligious reasons, not allowed to participate in sporting events,
\nnationally and internationally. Note that Arab nations did not
\nsend a single woman athlete to the Sydney Olympics. I fear that
\nthe Indonesian women will step a century backward, as did the
\nAfghan women.<\/p>\n
M. IKHSAN<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/womens-role-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }