Since the access formal education has been a crucial subject in indnesia, the gaverments have continuously assigned the improvement as well as equalized literacy rates between men or women. There is no more great distinction or hindrances, and the gender differences in enrollment education rates have been closed dramatically during the last two decade. This study explains the relationship between muslim women’s Access to formal education and their role alteration in public spheres in the seberang Kota Jambi. Jambi province. Seberang kota Jambi is an area sited across batang hari river. Whose land hold religious teachings (Islam) strongly. It is a patriarchal society. However, by decades. The women in a area started improve themselves to involved in education. Today the proportion of women who have hight education is higher than that of men.unfurnately, when they are married they are still conceived that they must serve their husbands and all his decision. Some are forbidden to be involved social activities. Even though they work outside, their income are considered additional income. The islamicreligious leaders also influence society thoughts by emphasize that wives,must oblige two what their husbands order or they are consider to have a big sin. By analyzing this information. It is expected to give a clearer picture about women’s situation in this region.
Introduction
Banafot has successfully demonstrated that women’s education has a pitoval role in contributing to economic growth; in creased the level cognitive skill possessed by the work force and improved their marginal productivity. Additionally, Michelle Maskiell, in her research on Social Change and Social Control: College-educated Punjabi Women in 1913 to 1960 came to the conclusion that educated married women will consider that their education implied obligations to society. They expanded their world to include non-domestic social work and other social activities. Having such theories, therefore, this paper is going to investigate the relationship between Muslim women’s access to formal education and their role change in public areas. The location of the research is Seberang Kota Jambi, Jambi Province, located in the eastern Sumatra islands, Indonesia. It is an area where multiethnic society lives. In addition, they have a motto: “adat bersandi syara´, syara´ bersandi Kitabullah, syara´ mengato, adat memakai.” This perspective has implications for Jambinese society. Therefore, it might be said that the people of Seberang Kota Jambi people are generally pious Muslims. They strongly hold religious teachings and apply them in their daily life. The research shows that the relationship between women’s access to formal education and their role in public spheres inSeberang Kota Jambi is not significant enough. As the fact that education for women in Seberang Kota Jambi are regarded to be important in shaping women’s personality and their role to create a good family when they are married, and not to be active in social activities.
Methodology
This research is conducted in Seberang Kota Jambi, Jambi Province, Indonesia. Seberang Kota Jambi has two sub-districts; Danau Teluk and Pelayangan, and each has 5 and 6 villages respectively. The respondents of this research consist of housewives who have already had higher formal education5 (Senior High School, undergraduate degree (S1), and postgraduate degree (S2)) and their families. In addition, Muslim scholars at Islamic boarding schools and Madrasas, such as the Ulamas, Tuo Tengganai (important cultural figures) in Seberang Kota Jambi, and the members of youth association in Seberang Kota Jambi are the respondents of the research.
Seberang Kota Jambi is inhabited by 24,448 people with approximately 5,438 families7. This research will limit the object of the research about 30 families as samples. Technique of Collecting Data of this research is interview; structural and deep interview. The former is used to gain basic information about the characteristics of the respondents such as ages, education, religion and social status. This is intended to know the differences based on these characteristics in relation to the problems, which are being experienced by respondents or
informants. The questions are opening questions, which are conducted through a deep interview. The latter is used with the guidance of interview. The topic of the questions is open. This is intended to develop the questions toward informants and create the informal situation. This research will dig the information as much as possible. The frequent of interview varied for every informant depending on when he/she provides the time to be interviewed. In addition, their original names are not to be mentioned in this research (if they ask).
Approaches
Anthropological, Sociological and Gender approaches are used in this study.
Anthropological. Since this research focuses on cultural and religious images of women, anthropological approach is employed as one of its main approaches. Culture is a knowledge possessed by humankind as a social being. It contains set of modes of knowing which selectively can be used to understand and interpret social surroundings.
Using that definition, the function of culture in structures of the relationship between human beings and their environment; culture is an instrument for transforming environment to be ‘make sense’ and become a part of the humanity.
Religion from an anthropological approach is seen as a cultural phenomenon and thereby the function and the role of religion in social structure becomes obvious i.e. as sets of principles and modes of knowing that frame understanding of society toward their environment and as guidance for acting.9 Islam, as a religion, is the main element of culture in Jambinese society. It integrates cultural elements in processing universal humanity basic needs,
which could be comprehended empirically; and has local characteristics, developed in universal religious context.10 Considering that religion as the culture (as understood by anthropologists), its function and role become obvious; that is as a set guidance and modes of knowledge to understand the surrounding environment
and guidance for action in fulfilling integrative necessities.
Therefore, a cultural image of women in Seberang Kota Jambi society context is observed as religious assumptions and concepts that underline many perceptions on women in this area
Sociological and Gender Approach. A sociological approach of studying the problems and the phenomena in society has been employed since the nineteenth century, when a French philosopher, August Comte11 suggested that all research about society can be classified into an independent knowledge, which was then called “Sociology” in 1839. The term sociology derived from the Latin word ‘socius’ means ‘friend’ and Greek word ‘logos’ means ‘word’ or ‘to talk’. Therefore, sociology is knowledge about society, social structures, process, and changes.12 Social structures are all the relationship among the main social elements (social norms), social institutions, and social stratifications. Social process is reciprocal influence in the variety of all aspects of life, such as the mutual affects between economy and politics, laws and religions, etc.
The focus of a sociological approach in religious study is in the interaction between religion and society. Basic presuppositions of a sociological perspectives concerns social structures, construction of men’s experiences, religion, and cultures.14 Using sociological perspectives, we may improve our understanding of Islam since there is no religion or ideology that can be understood completely providing that it is not seen from its surrounding context.
The research also concentrates on gender relation pattern as it interrelates to marriage and family, which are the categorization of sociology. Sociological approach and gender analysis are employed in this research. Meanwhile the sociological approach concerns the pattern of social structure of Seberang Kota Jambi Kota society in general, gender analysis will be used for describing its pattern of gender relation
Gender relation is defined as a relationship between men and women in a particular social structure. In this case, this study attempts to examine women’s role alteration in the context of Seberang Kota Jambi gender relations. Role alteration is understood as transition of role between men and women in the public sphere. In this perspective, man plays an important role in public sphere, while women are confined to domestic areas. The notion of alteration here is then directed to the understanding that women start to participate in social activities in her surroundings, such as becoming a leader in RT or RW, and active in youth associations
or forming women associations. In this instance, public spheres are defined as public areas where men and women work outside domestic areas, such as labor, civil servants, and particularly
in social activities.
Additionally, gender relation analysis will be extended to educational spheres, since this research tries to investigate the link between women’s access to formal education and their role alteration in public spheres. Education access is defined as equal opportunity and hence rights for both man and woman to participate in certain educational institutions.
This article by Siti Hazinah Mubarokah.
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