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.