On temptations of treasure, throne and women

On temptations of treasure, throne and women Indraswari  ;   A Lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University’s School of Social and Political Sciences in Bandung

JAKARTA POST, 08 Juli 2013

On July, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono briefed 735 military cadets at the Naval Academy in Surabaya, East Java. It was one day before the inauguration of the cadets who graduated from the Army, Air Force, Navy and National Police academies.

The President conveyed 10 messages in his briefing to the military officers to be, which were: to maintain their idealism; to do their best (in their career); to improve their skills; to develop competitiveness; to uphold ethics and professionalism; to be strong psychologically; to maintain self-confidence; not to be choosy (in conducting their military service); to resist the three temptations of treasure, thrones and women, and to stay close to God (setkab.go.id).

Generally, these are good messages and I believe these are also the President’s expectations for the future leaders of the Indonesian Military (TNI). Nonetheless, message number nine “to resist the three temptations of treasure, thrones and women” caught my attention.

Overall, the message says, “Be resistant to the three temptations of treasure, thrones and women. With regard to treasure’s temptation, it means you should not collect wealth through illegal means or pursue gains that are forbidden (haram).

With regard to your position as a military or a police officer, a “throne” is somewhat certain for you. You will definitely follow some educational paths and in the future you will attain several positions. But remember, never seize a position. If, in the future, you want to be president, join the presidential election

The third point is about women. A woman can be tempted by a man; as a man may be tempted by a woman. Mind your future and think righteously that there is still a long way for you to go (in your career). Remember your parents, brothers/sisters, children — if you already have them — and so on.”

For many Indonesians, the treasure-thrones-women notion, known as harta-tahta-wanita, is nothing new. This notion was not only raised by the President, in fact it is a “common” topic discussed by ordinary people on many occasions, such as religious sermons, discussions at schools, chats in the media and among friends. 

People mostly discuss the treasure-thrones-women topic with a sense that it may lead a good man to become a bad one, as he could become immersed by the treasure he has, the position he holds and, obviously, by women. The discussions usually include warnings for men to be aware of the threats attached to treasure, a throne and/or a woman.

I feel uncomfortable every time I hear this theme and the discussions that follow. From a gender perspective, the treasure-thrones-women notion is sexist. It generalizes to such a degree as to imply that there is nothing good about women; they are dangerous creatures, so men need to be alert at all times. 

On a wider scale, this way of thinking leads to women being blamed for men’s wrongdoings. For instance, it is not uncommon to hear that corruption cases would not be as rampant as they are today if a woman (wife) did not ask her husband to provide a living beyond his capabilities. There are also other notions that denigrate and blame women for various social ills.

Language is a powerful medium through which the world is reflected and constructed. Sexist language endorses stereotypes of both men and women. It may on occasion disadvantage men, but more often it disadvantages women. Language, therefore, is not neutral as it is loaded with values; in this case, patriarchal ones.

Furthermore, language works at a subconcious level, meaning that the values that are attached to words gradually become absorbed by the recipients. 

This explains why so many people no longer consider that there is anything wrong with the mysoginism that is implied in the treasure-thrones-women notion.

Simone de Beauvoir in her book, The Second Sex, wrote: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. While language is the primary medium of communication, it is at the same time a powerful tool in the social construction of being a man or a woman.

It is important that language serves as a medium in which both men and women are constructed positively. Developing critical thinking is no less important, to ensure that we do not just swallow whatever we hear. ●

Technology and gender inequality

Technology and gender inequality Indraswari ;  A Lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University’s School of Social and Political Sciences, Bandung

JAKARTA POST, 06 April 2013

  

When I was a child, I remember being with my father when he talked to his friend. It was only the three of us and I found myself listening to them chatting. The conversation turned to family issues. My father’s friend asked how many children my father had. My father had three children. “Are they girls or boys?” the man said. My father replied they were all girls.  My father’s friend was quick to say he had four children and that meant he was luckier than my father as all of them were boys. My father said the sex of the children did not dictate one’s luck, as boys and girls were the same. I was only a little girl then, but I could grasp the attitude that lay behind my father’s friend’s statement: A girl was worth less than a boy. Today 1.5 million girls go missing at birth every year as a result of prenatal sex selection (Kate Gilles and Charlotte Feldman-Jacobs, When technology and tradition collide: From gender bias to sex selection, 2012).  The writers note that based on the sex ratio at birth — the balance of male to female births is generally expressed as the number of male babies born for every 100 female babies born — under normal circumstances, about 102-107 boys are born for every 100 girls. Nonetheless, in some countries more boys and fewer girls are born, which goes against the normal ratio. Gilles and Feldman-Jacobs indicate that the reason behind the imbalanced sex ratio at birth is a combination of three factors: preferences for sons, decreasing family sizes and the rapid spread of pre-natal sex determination technology.  The preferences for sons is nothing new. In a patriarchal culture, a son is preferred for economic, social and religious reasons.  A friend of mine said that a married daughter should be more dutiful to her husband than to her parents, while a son should be dutiful to his parents regardless of his marital status. Thus, having a son is an “investment” for old age, socially and economically. Ironically, in some countries, decreasing family sizes due to family planning programs combined with a strong preferences for sons, lead many families to not just “prefer” a son over a daughter but to view at least one son as a “must have” in a family, at all costs.  The development of medical technologies such as ultrasound machines is mainly aimed at improving prenatal care for women, but is often misused as a tool to enable parents to identify the sex of their unborn child. Problems occur when parents discover the sex does not meet their expectations.  Some of them decide to abort the pregnancy as a result. Others continue the pregnancy only to abandon, discriminate and “hide” their child, in particular if it’s a girl, not registering her so that they still have a chance to have a boy.  This particularly applies in some countries that apply strict policies on limiting the number of children in families and on strong son preferences.  Sadly, the words “it’s a girl” are no longer followed with gasps of joy. Instead, they can prove deadly to the baby, even before she enters the world. Indonesia also applies a policy on limiting children’s number in a family which is part of an effort to control the population number. Its family planning program promotes two children as an ideal family’s size.  While son preference also occurs in Indonesia, sex ratio at birth is within the normal range that is 105 male babies born for every 100 female babies (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Population Prospects: The 2010, Vol. II: Demographic Profiles). This could partially relate to Indonesia’s family planning program’s motto “two children is enough, girls or boys are the same”. In a book titled Sex Imbalances at Birth: Trends, Consequences, and Policy Implications (2012), Christophe Guilmoto says the top three countries with imbalanced sex ratios at birth are mainland China, with 118.1 boys born for every 100 girls (2009); Azerbaijan, with 117.6 (2009); and Armenia, with 115.8 (2008). An imbalanced sex ratio at birth leads to wider social, economic and political problems. Guilmoto notes the problem of a “marriage squeeze” in some countries, where men outnumber women of marriageable age. For men, this problem may cause unrest, especially among those from disadvantaged backgrounds who are unable to find partners. For women, it is even worse. In the economy, scarcity of certain goods raise price.  In “marriage squeeze” scenarios, the problem of “bride scarcity” does not raise women’s status, but instead stimulates female trafficking and forced marriage. Nature has its own mechanism for maintaining a balanced sex ratio and ensuring the sustainability of humans. Technology should be developed in line with nature and to improve the quality of life of all men and women. Culture relates to how technology is adopted and whether it will bring advantages or disadvantages for humans.  It is clear that technological development, if not accompanied by changing mindsets on gender equality, does not give women maximum benefits, but could even be harmful for them. ●

Public Policy and a dark future for women

Public Policy and a dark future for women Indraswari ;  A Lecturer at the Parahyangan Catholic University’s School of Social and Political Sciences in Bandung

JAKARTA POST, 06 Februari 2013

The Jakarta Post recently reported that between 2002 and 2009 the Home Ministry annulled 1,878 bylaws (“After ‘straddling’ proposal, ministry to review bylaws”, Jan. 18). The article stated that almost 1,800 of those annulled bylaws dealt with regional taxation and levies; 29 dealt with third-party political donations; and 22 pertained to alcoholic beverages. The report also indicated that 758 bylaws were currently under evaluation by the ministry, comprising 589 on regional taxation and levies; 19 on alcoholic beverages; 71 on third-party political donations; and 79 on other matters.  According to the article, none of the annulled bylaws or those under evaluation included the 282 laws that justify discrimination against women and other minority groups, according to the National Comission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan). Critics say that the ministry does not dare touch these controversial issues that are contained in the laws. Public policy is generally considered a political product. Its formulation and implementation is a political process. The use of government resources and the application of sanctions are required to ensure that the whole process runs smoothly.  It has been rarely discussed that public policy is also a matter of culture. Amri Marzali (2012), in his book Antropologi dan Kebijakan Publik (Anthropology and Public Policy), writes that public policy is a cultural product, while its formulation and implementation is a cultural process. Browsing through the list of the 282 laws, a substantial number directly discriminate against women, mostly at the local level. These laws deal with issues such as prostitution, pornography and dress codes. In practice, the implementation of the laws leads to violations of women’s rights and freedoms. In some cases, it even costs women’s lives. In September last year, a 16-year-old girl identified as Putri committed suicide in Langsa, Aceh. She was on her way home late at night after attending a concert when she was apprehended by sharia police. Some reports at the time suggested that she was suspected of being a prostitute.  Others indicated that she may have been accused of going out in the evening with men who were not her direct relatives. Both matters are regulated in local ordinances, which acted as the basis for the raid. The depression and stigma felt by Putri after her arrest burdened her. She also felt guilty for shaming her family. These are believed to have contributed to her decision to end her life. Putri was not the first person to fall victim to bylaws in place to supposedly maintain “public morality” and to “protect” women. In 2006, a pregnant wife identified as Lilis was apprehended by public order officers (Satpol PP) while she waited for public transportation to return home at night after finishing her shift at a restaurant in Tangerang, Banten. The action by the Satpol PP personnel was the implementation of a bylaw on prostitution. Lilis was detained for three days and was accused of being a sex worker. She died two years later. Her death was believed to have been caused in part by depression following her arrest. Not all women have the luxury of owning a private car with a driver or a family member who is ready to drive them whenever and wherever they want to go. Many women, including Lilis, rely on public transportation in their daily lives. Instead of improving services and security on public transportation vehicles, however, the government — through these discriminative bylaws — punishes working women, such as Lilis, for being out in public places at night. In other regions, women are punished and humiliated for doing what the late Putri and Lilis did, namely for wearing “inappropriate” clothing — whatever that means. If public policy is a cultural matter, the question then is: What kind of culture is being promoted through the implementation of such discriminative bylaws? Answer: a patriarchal-mysoginistic culture. This kind of culture views women as the source of immorality. They are the first to be punished regarding “public morals”, which is often based on the vague, subjective thinking of those in power. Within this context, public policy is also about social change. William Kornblum (2005) writes in his book, Sociology in a Changing World, that social change constitutes “variations over time in the ecological ordering of populations and communities, in patterns of roles and social interactions in the structure and functioning of institutions, and in the culture of societies”. Unless the central government takes definitive action against bylaws that are not in line with human and women’s rights, we will increasingly move toward becoming a society in which gender inequality is more apparent, and women may someday dissappear from the public sphere altogether. From a perspective of social change, this is part of an intended change. Borrowing Kornblum’s term, “endogenous forces” or social forces, which emanate from within society, contribute to this situation. This is not a pessimistic thought but more a warning so that we can do something to avoid such a dark future for women. On a lighter note, there are also laws that promote women’s empowerment. At the national level, there are laws to eliminate domestic violence and human trafficking, and others that promote gender mainstreaming. At the local level, Cimahi municipality and Bandung regency, both in West Java, have the Perda KIBBLA (bylaws on mothers and newborn infants’ health), which aim to reduce the high maternal and infant mortality rates in the region. There are other pro-women laws in other regions that we should support. Let us work together to create a better future and a more egalitarian society in which everyone — regardless of gender — can fully exercise his/her rights, free from fear and live life with dignity. ●

Why rape differs from other crimes

Why rape differs from other crimes Indraswari ;  A Lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University’s School of Social and Political Sciences, Bandung

JAKARTA POST, 13 Januari 2013

Naomi Wolf’s article titled “Ending India’s rape culture” (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 3, 2013) gives us an insight into last month’s rape case in India which sparked global outrage. The victim — a 23-year-old student — died on Dec. 28, 2012 in Singapore, due to severe injuries and organ failure. Wolf writes that the crime seems incomprehensible, the victim was gang raped for an hour by six men, was beaten and violated by a metal rod, and was thrown out of a moving bus. Here in Indonesia, sadly, news about rape cases can be found almost every day. Such cases occur in both public and private places with perpetrators ranging from strangers, neighbors, teachers and friends to family members. Victims are women of various ages and backgrounds such as working women, housewives and students. In some rape cases, juveniles are also involved either as perpetrators or as victims. Rape is of a different nature compared to other crimes. Prosecution of a rape perpetrator is often not easy in a culture which is heavily biased against women. The problem is more complicated when the perpetrator is a family member or someone with a close acquaintance to the victim.  Rape and other forms of sexual violence are a form of subordination of women. This subordination may occur on its own or in combination with economic, political or cultural subordination.  Syarifah (2006) in her book Kebertubuhan Perempuan dalam Pornografi (Women’s Status in Pornography) writes that the term subordination implies three factors. First, subordination is about an (unequal) hierarchical relation between a superior and their subordinate. Second, it is about objectification, in which somebody is treated as a commodity and of a lower status. Third, subordination is about subjugation. Following Syarifah’s framework, rape and other sexual assaults on women are basically about subordination in which the perpetrators are those with a superior status, be they a father, uncle, brother, teacher or an employer, while the victim is a subordinate such as a daughter, niece, younger sister, student or an employee. Outside these categories, women in general are regarded as inferior to men. This explains why in some rape cases the perpetrator is a stranger to the victim. Rape also relates to women being perceived as objects and subject to being treated as no more than a commodity. This explains cases of human trafficking in which women are traded as sex slaves. Rape and other sexual violence against women are also about subjugation as a way to further suppress women on the lowest rank of the social strata and to make them “obedient” to the wishes of the perpetrator. This latter subjugation should be understood in a wider social and cultural context of obedience to patriarchal rules through which women are kept under men’s control. Under such rules, a good woman is supposed to stay at home. A bad woman is one who claims her rights in the public domain. Consequently, when rape or other sexual assaults occur, it is the fault of the victim for not being a good and “obedient” woman. The problem with this is that rape occurs not only in the public sphere but also at home with the perpetrators often family members or relatives. There are the so-called “protectionists” who advise women to stay at home, not to go out at night, to dress and to behave in a way that will not be interpreted as “inviting” to be raped or sexually assaulted. Although the protectionists claim to protect women, in fact they do not. Instead they victimize women by limiting their freedoms and when something bad happens, they put the blame on the women. The protectionists’ way of thinking is not applied to other crimes such as theft. When somebody experiences this crime, it is more likely that people will sympathize. Nobody will blame the victim, asking why they left their home for, say, a vacation so that their home was subject to theft. Nobody will question why they did not recruit a personal security guard, or install a burglar alarm or CCTV or why their fence was not high enough so that it “invited” a thief to come. On the contrary, when a woman is raped or sexually harassed, people will question whether she — through her dress or behavior — in some way “invited” the perpetrators’ actions. They will also investigate why she traveled alone or why she was not at home after dark and so on and so forth. Unlike theft, it is the woman rape victim who is held responsible for the crime she experiences. Social stigma forces her to remain silent. The need to save the family’s honor further brings a woman rape victim to an unbearable situation. Not long ago, Amina Filali, a 16-year-old Moroccan girl, committed suicide after being forced to marry a man who raped her in order to preserve her family’s honor (The Huffington Post, March 14, 2012). Sadly this “protectionist” way of thinking is also adopted by some policymakers. According to the National Commission on Violence Against Women, there are 282 policies — mostly at local level — that discriminate against women or minority groups. The latest one is the government of Lhokseumawe in Aceh which plans to issue a bylaw banning women from straddling motorcycles as this is considered indecent (the Post, Jan. 3, 2013). While strengthening law enforcement is important, changing the gender-bias mind-set is no less important in order to eliminate rape and other violence against women. Our task, rather than blaming women and asking them to do or not to do this or that, is to educate, our daughters to understand their rights and to be brave enough to claim these rights, our sons to respect women, and everyone else to uphold human rights. ●

Do we love our children unconditionally?

Do we love our children unconditionally? Indraswari ; A Lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University’s School of Social and Political Sciences in Bandung

JAKARTA POST,  02 Januari 2013

In many schools in Indonesia, December is the end of the first semester, marked by the distribution of students’ academic reports followed by the end-of-year holiday. During this time, parents with children studying from kindergarten to high school are invited to attend parent-teacher meetings at school, to discuss their children’s progress during the semester. On such occasions, it is common that parents share with each other regarding their children’s achievements, indicated by marks as written in the report. For schools that apply a ranking system, the discussion includes a child’s position in his or her class as shown in his or her rank. In social media, some parents praise their children for making them happy with their good marks, which make them love their children even more. In general the atmosphere is more about the academic result than the process. A child’s good academic performance is equal to successful parenting. Back in my school days, I remember a friend approaching me to share how sad she was as she had not got the expected marks, which meant that she had failed to please her parents. Another friend told me how scared she was to meet her parents as she realized that she had got some red marks in her report. In Indonesian schools, bad marks are normally written in red. Another one said that she was stressed when her parents blamed her for not working hard enough so that she ranked low in her class. “Work hard” is a typical formula parents and teachers tell children on how to succeed in academia. Unfortunately, this formula does not work for all. Some students work hard and get good grades.  Others work hard for ages but they still never make it, and worse they are labelled as either stupid or lazy by friends and people who should actually support them — their parents and teachers. The education system contributes to this situation as it does not accommodate everyone’s needs. The system generally operates to meet the needs of the majority, be they those with certain intellectual capabilities or those who are able to follow certain learning methods. In many schools in Indonesia, the learning method is usually the directive one combined with a poor teacher-student ratio. In public schools, class sizes may reach 40 students or more. A parent’s demands of their children may not end when they grow up and finish studying. The list may go on with parents expecting their children to have a good life, which for some is narrowly defined in terms of material wealth. As life may take people in different directions, in a family some children may perform well in academia and later have a good life, while others struggle and fail to meet their parents’ expectations. It is very unwise that in such a situation some parents compare one child’s achievement with another and develop inferiority complexes in the less “successful” one. It seems to me that in such a case parents’ love of their children is conditional, dependent on what the children can give in return for what their parents do (and spend) for them. Of course, there are many wise parents who do not count up what they do for their children. They accept their children as they are and do not demand anything beyond their capabilities. These parents give their children unconditional love and support. Their love is not determined by the children’s success or failure, whatever these may mean. As parents we have to motivate our children to fulfill their potential and to do their best. Nonetheless, we have to be sincere with ourselves whether we encourage our children to do the best for their own sakes or whether we actually push them to fulfill our unmet dreams. There is no single formula on how to be a good parent. As a parent myself I found that parenting is a learning process and a journey to becoming a better person. As a lecturer, I also learn something every time I meet my students and their parents to discuss various issues in academia and the circumstances which affect the students’ academic performances. This enriches me both as a parent and a lecturer. I wish my children to be happy and “succeed” in their lives. I agree with Jennie S. Bev who wrote that “Success is a mindset — it is not a journey or a destination, it is within you” (The Jakarta Post, Dec. 6, 2012, “Diaspora, love and equality”). ●