Women security guards take stand in male domain

Women security guards take stand in male domain

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta, tabita@cbn.net.id

News of the Aug. 5 JW Marriott bombing that killed 12 people,
including two security guards of the hotel, hit home for Ida
Heryani.

"As a security guard myself, I could imagine such a terrible
thing also happening to me," said the mother of two, recounting
that she broke into tears.

The 35-year-old woman works at the German Center in Serpong,
West Java, one of the few women who has taken a job traditionally
considered the domain of men in this country.

In other societies, even within the region, female security
guards, or taxi or bus drivers, for that matter, are nothing
unusual, but here they warrant a second glance or a comment.

For Ida and her few female counterparts, it's a daily job to
show the public that they can measure up on the job to their male
colleagues, especially amid the demands of the current security
situation.

She came by the job by accident 13 years ago. She had applied
for a position as a worker at a shoe factory, but was told the
only vacancy was for a security guard.

"I took it because I needed work," she said.

Another security guard, Atun, 26, who works in Alfa retail
shop in Tangerang, also entered the profession by accident. The
young woman, who formerly worked as a sales promotion girl,
applied for the position of cashier three years ago, but was
offered a job as a security guard instead.

She gave it a try, and found it to her liking. "I like it
better than my previous job, being a security guard is more
dynamic," she said.

Others, such as Lili Suryani, who works in Gramedia bookstore
on Jl. Matraman, East Jakarta, and Elfrida of Plaza Indonesia
shopping center in Central Jakarta, said the job was their
calling all along.

"Actually I wanted to join the navy or the police force. But I
didn't get the chance. So, why not become a security guard?"
Lili, 22, said with a laugh.

An admitted tomboy as a child, Lili said she wanted to go to a
technical high school, but her parents objected and sent her to
an economic high school instead. After graduating in 2001, she
left her hometown of Padang, West Sumatra, to try her luck in
Jakarta, finding a job as a machine operator at an electronics
company.

A year later, when she heard about a vacancy as a security
guard at Gramedia, she sent in her application.

"My brother objected, saying that it's a man's job, but he
later understood," said the youngest of six siblings.

Elfrida, who was born and grew up in Medan, North Sumatra,
also said that her parents initially barred her from working as a
security guard as they were concerned for her safety.

"My parents wanted me to become a teacher. That's why they
sent me to a teachers' training high school," she said.

She applied for a job as an elementary school teacher, but she
was told to take a one-year course at the Teachers' Training
Institute, but she could not due to financial constraints.

Elfrida, now 38, worked as a machine operator at a textile
factory before she applied for the job as a security guard at the
shopping center in 1992.

"I am proud about being a security guard. It has something in
common with a policewoman, as both are in charge of security,"
said Elfrida, who wished to become a policewoman when she was
younger.

Although they faced family resistance to their choice of
occupation, the women said they were treated with respect by
their male colleagues and supervisors (Atun and Ida married other
security guards).

Outside the workplace, it's sometimes a different story. It's
not only their physique that often leads people to question their
suitability for the job, but also sexist stereotypes of emotional
frailty ("She'll crack under pressure") and whether they can be
as tough as men.

Eventually, however, the women said they gained respect.

"When I started in this job, my friends couldn't believe it.
They even teased me, but I didn't care about what they said
because what's important is that my job is halal (legitimate),"
said Elizabeth, 37, who has worked as a security guard at Plaza
Indonesia since 1991.

Although the women said they enjoyed the work, both Elizabeth
and Elfrida said they would not wish their daughters to follow
their example. Although they enjoyed their working environment
and their welfare, they said the job was tough and carried risks.

"We finish working at seven or eight at night and then take a
public bus home. What if a crook who has been caught for doing
something bad here wants to get back at us?" said Elizabeth.

Lili, who loves children, said she felt uncomfortable that
many children were frightened of her in her uniform.

"This is because their mothers always give children the wrong
perception about security guards as people you should be afraid
of," she said.

"But in a way, it's good because it makes the children behave
themselves," she quipped.