You don't have to be a woman to be feminist
JAKARTA (JP): "Don't be afraid of feminism -- join us!" was the call of a women's group which launched a new book yesterday.
"You don't need a sex change operation to be a feminist," Myra Diarsi of the Jakarta-based Kalyanamitra foundation said at the launching ceremony of a book about the feminist movement at the Bentara Budaya building in Central Jakarta.
Through a discussion on the misperception of "the only -ism which threatens the `sacredness' of the household," Kalyanamitra activists pointed out that people who share the conviction that there are injustices in the relationship between the sexes need not be afraid of being branded as "feminists".
In the midst of all the cynicism, suspicion, sneers and apathy towards people considered "Western feminists", Diarsi pointed out that even people already actively advocating women's rights are reluctant to be considered feminists.
"We are puzzled as to who and what makes a feminist ... Is it a Kartini (a national heroine) ... or a Marsinah (a murdered worker) and their sisters, whom we talk about only when unimaginable fates befall them?"
In conjunction with Indonesia's Women's Day, which falls on Dec. 22, the foundation is promoting the translation of Some Questions on Feminism and its Relevance in South Asia by Nighat Said Khan and Kamla Bhasin, which is published by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. The Indonesian translation is titled Persoalan Pokok Mengenai Feminisme dan Relevansinya.
The book, written in 1986, is derived from the writers' decades of experience. Quoting Nighat Said Khan, who is from Pakistan, and Kamala Bhasin, who is from India, Diarsi cited a general definition of feminism.
Feminist awareness is "an awareness of exploitation of women in society, at work and in the family, and conscious action by men, or women, to change this condition."
Diarsi, a psychologist, said this is why one does not need to be a woman to be a feminist, and that one does not need to know the jargon to perceive the problem. She added that a housewife can have such awareness, without necessarily having the vocabulary.
"A peasant woman does not need theories to understand that it is unjust to receive a different wage for the same work, or that nobody has the right to beat or rape her."
To an audience, including politician Rachman Tolleng and a woman member of the Petisi 50 group of government critics, S.K. Trimurti, Diarsi said that feminism struggles for "a just and equitable society for both men and women".
Backlash
Diarsi acknowledged the term comes from the West. "But isn't it true that the concept reveals a transformation process which began here in the 19th century?"
She pointed out the fact that some define feminism's local history as beginning some 20 years ago when the jargon was first introduced in Indonesia. Diarsi added that it has taken that long to see public discussions and books published explicitly on feminism.
"The subject is very vulnerable," Diarsi said, in response to an audience member who noted that there is currently a backlash against the growing awareness of gender imbalance.
The challenge of feminism towards every level of a patriarchal society brings every women with the awareness face to face with her family and friends in a "bitter encounter", Diarsi said.
"Women are more courageous about facing this bitterness because they endure more pain if the status quo is preserved ... In struggling they stand to lose nothing except the chain that binds them."
She added that patriarchy is just one of the many factors that work against the betterment of women, as it "marries into various interests, policies and abuse of power".
Sociologist Mely G. Tan said she felt optimistic about the improvement of the situation of women here, given the government's commitment and "much better understanding between young couples".
"However we still must deal with the realities of life, among which women do not yet feel secure," she said. (anr)