Minangkabau Women's Political Identity In Political Representation (original) (raw)

Abstract

This study examines Minangkabau women in politics. The political identity of women in Minangkabau as Bundo Kandung places women in a high position. Their role is centered on the mother in the Rumah Gadang, playing the role as urang rumah [person of the house], induak bareh [mother of the rice], and decision-maker. Among these important roles is that Bundo Kandung plays a role in determining the success and failure of the implementation of decisions made by men in their positions as Mamak (mother's uncle) and Penghulu (tribal chief). This study uses a qualitative approach by conducting in-depth interviews with Minangkabau women who are directly involved in politics, in addition to observing the behavior of Minangkabau women directly involved in politics. In this paper, there are two factors faced by Minangkabau women in the political realm, namely external and internal barriers. External barriers come from the public, political, socio-cultural environments that do not support women's political empowerment or give women opportunities to gain political positions. These barriers are more dominant and are culturally bound. They are associated with the stigma embedded in Minang men that they are reluctant to be led by women and put women to do domestic works and services (in the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom). Added to this are the Islamic religious teachings, which some interpret that women should not lead. In addition to this external obstacle, the Minangkabau women's participation in politics is limited to the elite. Even in the modern era, it can be seen that the power of Bundo Kandung as a symbol of women in Minangkabau, playing the role as the control of the Nagari [village] government, has been much reduced. The internal barriers emerge from the Minangkabau women's self-factors, which involve personal decisions. Thus, this study found that Minangkabau women feel they do not have the ability to get involved in politics as an additional duty to the dual role that they play: a mother and a wife. The barriers generating from the women's self are very influential to the extent that such obstacles cause women to be less interested in politics and even reluctant to get themselves involved in the public sphere. As a result, they seem to demonstrate low fighting power.

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