Understanding Patriarchal Culture And Examples In Indonesia

Illustration of the understanding of patriarchal culture (Istock)

JAKARTA – The way of life that develops in society and is passed down from generation to generation is called culture. In Indonesia, there are many kinds of cultures and what is still rooted today is patriarchal culture.

What is the meaning of patriarchal culture and what are some examples in Indonesia? According to the KBBI, patriarchy is behavior that prioritizes men over women in certain societies or social groups.

Patriarchal culture is the unequal distribution of power between men and women in certain aspects of a society. Quoted from an article published by the Women's Human Rights Education Institute, the definition of patriarchal culture has been updated since the 20th century.

Previously, in the 19th century patriarchal culture was understood by social scientists as a complex form of organization compared to primitive matriarchy. Frederic Angels in his book The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State published in 1884 called patriarchal culture the earliest and recorded system of domination in 'world history' regarding the defeat of the female sex.

In Angels' understanding, patriarchy is understood as a form of political organization that distributes power unequally between men and women to the detriment of women.

A number of feminist theories update the definition of patriarchy, according to feminist theory, patriarchy is more than an unequal distribution of power but touches aspects of life, including law, economy, education, to the environmental space.

Patriarchy for most forms of feminism is characterized as a social system that unjustly subordinates, discriminates against, or oppresses women. On the one hand, Carole Pateman writes that the patriarchal construction of the masculine and feminine views is a political difference between freedom and submission.

Patriarchy is called culture because it is passed down from generation to generation without realizing it. Starting from the family scope, for example, a father as the head of the family who decides all choices for all members of his family. Then it is systemically strengthened by mechanisms or institutions that strengthen the oppression of women. Until in the end it extends to the control of production and even reproduction, thought, sexuality, including spirituality.

Examples of patriarchal culture that exist in Indonesia, among others, are those closest to the family sphere. A wife, for example, must obey her husband's wishes and have no room for discussion. Another example that is still common in Indonesia, patriarchal culture is also one of the causes of cases of domestic violence.

Based on the Komnas Perempuan report, there have been 36,356 cases of domestic violence experienced by women in the last 5 years.

Citing an article entitled Highlighting Patriarchal Culture in Indonesia which was published in the Social Work Journal Volume 7, the high number of cases of sexual harassment, the high rate of early marriage, and the stigma that weakens the position of women in divorce are also influenced by the patriarchal culture in Indonesia.