Gender Struggle: What Can We Learn from the Dayak Benawan Women?

Abstract

This research centres on gender inequities practiced against indigenous women of the Dayaks Benawan in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The activities of Dayak Benawan women are principally with farming, gardening, and any other activity to earn a living do rely on nature. Dayak Benawan women are socially positioned as a complement to the male, in family, traditional institutions, and village institutions. The lack of access for women to be the determinant of the direction of policy impact on the structure of the gender division of labor that is not fair. This study uses feminist ethnographic research methods. The field data collection techniques include interview, observation, and participants lives in a Dayak Benawan Community. The data was collected and was categorized by comfirming with the informant. The collection of data was also in the form of secondary data from various sources such as reference books, documents from the office of the village, and scientific journals. The results of this study revealed that the position of Dayak Benawan women role in the domestic sector, in the social structure. While the position of men became the key to the community structure, such as the family, traditional institutions, and government agencies in the village. The existence of a gender division of labor occurs due to the persistence of local traditions in their society. The enactment of local traditions indicated the weakening of the position of women politically. It also reveals the perpetuation of the culture of patriarchy in the Dayak Benawan community. Thus, in various policy sectors, women are never involved. Such as the family, traditional institutions, and government agencies in the village. The existence of a gender division of labor that occurs due to the persistence of local traditions believed by society. The enactment of local tradition indicates the weakening of the position of women politically. It is also a perpetuation of the culture of patriarchy on the Dayak Benawan community. Thus, in various policy sectors, women are never involved. Such as in the family, traditional institutions, and government agencies in the village. The existence of a gender division of labor occurs due to the persistence of local traditions believed within this society. Still, the enactment of local tradition indicated the weakening of the position of women politically. It is also a perpetuation of the culture of patriarchy on the Dayak Benawan community. Thus, in various policy sectors, women were never involved.