Trailblazing Female KUA Head Uun Kurniasih Proves Leadership Isn't Bound by Gender

The head of the Religious Affairs Office (KUA) has long been synonymous with men, who also double as marriage officiants. However, Uun Kurniasih, 54, has proven that women can also lead a KUA, even if they cannot officiate marriages like a penghulu. The Indramayu native is one of 15 women appointed as KUA heads across Indonesia. The inauguration took place at the HM Rasjidi Auditorium, the Ministry of Religious Affairs service office in Central Jakarta, on Thursday (4/6/2026). The hybrid ceremony included 258 KUA heads from various regions in Indonesia, with Uun being the only female KUA head from West Java. Uun expressed gratitude for the opportunity the government has given to women, including herself, to become KUA heads, especially since she previously served only as an Islamic extension officer. ‘Alhamdulillah, I have been given this trust. It is a mandate,’ Uun said when met at her office at the Pasekan Subdistrict KUA, Indramayu Regency, Thursday (11/6/2026). Uun, a woman who served as an Islamic extension officer under the Community Guidance Section (Bimas) of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Indramayu Regency, was able to assume the position of KUA head thanks to a new government policy. This was made possible by the issuance of Minister of Religious Affairs Regulation Number 24 of 2024 and Minister of Religious Affairs Decree Number 1644 of 2025. Through these regulations, for the first time, Islamic extension officers were given the opportunity to hold the position of KUA head, including female Islamic extension officers.