Papuan researcher wins award for study on gender issues
Papuan researcher wins award for study on gender issues
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
A Papuan anthropologist, Marlina Flassy, has been declared the
winner of the Peniti Emas community research award, capping a
series of science and technology achievements by people in the
remote province.
Marlina, 36, won the award for her research on gender issues
faced by the Papuan Maybrad and Tehit tribes in Sorong.
State Minister for Research and Technology Hatta Radjasa said
Marlina's research had showed that better education in the
easternmost province could advance the interests of Papuan
communities.
"That's why we have decided to honor Ms. Flassy with the award
as we hope she will inspire women to play a greater role in the
country's scientific and technological advancement," Hatta said.
Earlier this year, a Papuan high school student won an
international physics competition in Poland, while a trio of
Papuan students won the top prize in the National Youth Research
Competition in Jakarta.
Marlina's research conducted in 2001, found changes to the
value systems of the patriarchal Papuan communities, which had
begun to provide women with access to education to improve their
prospects for marriage.
"In the past, when a man proposed to a woman, he gave the
woman only a package of kain timur (eastern cloth) as a bride
price. But now, the higher the educational background the bride
has, the higher she will be priced, sometimes amounting up to Rp
50 million (US$5,500)," the lecturer of the state Cendrawasih
University in Jayapura said.
Another advantage of better education was that women were able
to find work outside their houses and improve their families'
economic welfare, she said.
An Office of the State Ministry for Research and Technology
official, Utari Budihardjo, said Marlina's dedication to her work
meant she deserved the award.
"She has done more than eight research projects on a series of
issues, including reproductive health and gender," Utari said.
The award, introduced this year, is given to young women
researchers from the eastern part of Indonesia and is aimed at
encouraging women to do more research on gender issues.
Marlina received a Rp 30 million cash prize.