'Jurnal Perempuan' exposes gender issues
'Jurnal Perempuan' exposes gender issues
Jakarta (JP): A woman's work is never done, so says the
cliche.
Yet, as the new triannual journal Jurnal Perempuan (Women's
Journal) illustrates, the saying is no cliche. The groundbreaking
journal, first published in September 1996 by some of the
nation's most high-achieving women and in cooperation with the
University of Indonesia's department of philosophy, sets out to
document that not only is a woman's work never done, but it is
consistently underpaid, underappreciated and misunderstood.
And it's not only work that is addressed by the journal, most
of which is written in Indonesian. Perhaps the journal's most
ambitious passages are those which attempt to illuminate women's
eroticism. Three articles, Women's Sexual Drive at Middle Age by
Toety Heraty Noerhadi, Pariyem: Javanese Women at the Crossroads
by Hani'ah, and Male Cologne as Women's Aphrodisiac: Reality or
Utopia? by Mayang Sari, delve into the murky waters of female
sexuality, which is little discussed or understood in the West,
much less in Indonesia.
It's refreshing, then, to find such typically taboo subjects
approached without apprehension. Heraty in particular goes
straight for the jugular, and relates a woman's sexual drive not
only to her zest for life, but also to stereotypical notions of
gender.
Even language plays a role. In Indonesian, there are two words
for woman: wanita and perempuan. The former has connotations of
femininity, fragility, and beauty, and, due to its proximity to
the attributes expected of women, is more socially acceptable.
The latter, however, sounds more crass, and implies a lower
social standing and all the discriminatory behavior associated
with it.
In this context of ingrained stereotypes, Heraty writes that a
middle-aged woman may waste much of her energy on improving her
looks and on over-compensating her now-grown-up family -- all of
which can sap her self-esteem and ultimately her sexual energy.
Heraty's essay is both insightful and readable, as is Mayang
Sari's tangent into the symbolism of cologne advertising. Using
photographs and charts, she chats away, at times with an overly
academic tone, about how the ads not-so-subtly suggest that men's
perfume will automatically drive a woman to lustful delirium.
What's interesting is not only that Mayang Sari writes that this
is more men's fancy rather than truth, but that if women actually
behaved as sex-crazed as the ads suggest, it would have an
adverse affect on their reputation.
What isn't as interesting, however, is Hani'ah's 11-page tract
on the 1980 novel, Pariyem's Confession. The verse-by-verse
dissection seems too obscure for a market-specific academic
journal and especially for those who have never read the book.
And herein lies the project's biggest problem. No doubt that
there are many feminists who welcome the journal and will read it
from cover to cover. In addition, the journal does attempt to
widen its scope, including a column called "Tips" (in the
September issue it discusses how to spot potentially dangerous
dates), "Dictionary" (which explores the surprisingly close
etymology between the words "woman" and "man"), and "Poems" (this
time from Toety Heraty and Sheila Gujral).
Alienating
But ultimately, the journal could alienate the same people it
is trying to reach and assist. Perhaps I am mistaken, and maybe
the journal targets readers well-schooled in feminist history and
vernacular, but it would be unfortunate if an exclusivist
attitude stood in the way of a greater understanding of feminism.
For example, the review of French Feminist Thought, a Reader
discusses the radical theoretical bent of, yes, French feminist
thought. Perhaps to my own disadvantage, the four-page analysis
seemed to be an exercise in name-dropping. Brush up on your
philosophy before reading this.
More taxing still is the examination of Mary Wollstonecraft's
A Vindication of the Rights of Women, but more specifically,
Hannah More's critique of La Bruyere's book, Characters. To which
I humbly ask: Who is Hannah More? This is beyond basic philosophy
and saps a reader's enthusiasm for the journal. Simone de
Beauvoir and Mary Wollstonecraft in one issue? Is this journal
concerned about exploring Indonesian feminism?
It is, but perhaps it's a reflection of the so-called
superiority of Western perspectives that European philosophers
take center stage. Western ethnocentrism is most difficult when
practiced outside of the West.
That said, there is a 14-page essay (or dissertation, as the
size suggests) by Melody Kemp titled The Handmaid's Tale:
Feminisation of Automated Work from Indonesian Workplaces. This
is the journal's only English-language article, and thankfully
so, as it is an exhausting if informative read. Again, Kemp is
strongly theoretical in approach. Yet her investigation is
remarkably detailed, and is a great contribution to the study of
so-called Third World industrialism.
As relevant to the average reader is the essay Marriage:
Power, Negotiations, and Conflict, written by husband-and-wife
Letha Scanzoni and John Scanzoni. Using anecdotes and everyday
scenarios, the two authors kept me engrossed with their
exploration of the subtleties of power between men and women.
More academic than a self-help book but less absorbed than a PhD
dissertation, it's an article that can only foster better
relations between spouses.
With the addition of a short story by Vietnamese Va-Thi Dieu-
Vien titled Dress and Dress, and a commentary on the abuse of
women by Gadis Arivia (also the journal's chief editor), the
journal ends its foray into high-brow feminism. In the context of
Women's Day, it shows the progress Indonesian women have made
since Raden Adjeng Kartini first wrote her famous letters
demanding education and the emancipation of women. But progress
need not be pretentious nor alienating. Jurnal Perempuan is a
commendable effort in extolling feminist ideology, but praise and
critiques are not enough to make feminism relevant. The next step
is to make woman-centered perspectives more accessible to more
women.
-- Dini S. Djalal