Analysis of Perceptions and Roles of Wives/Housewives of Business Actors on the Existence and Sustainability of Crossing Service Businesses in South Lembeh District, Bitung City, Indonesia

Abstract

Lembeh Island is an administrative area of Bitung City and is administratively divided into two districts, namely North Lembeh and South Lembeh Districts. The total population in Papusungan Village, South Lembeh District, Bitung City, in July 2019 was recorded at 3,129 people and those who work as fishermen were recorded at 380 fishermen, consisting of 140 fishing rod fishermen, 120 ring trawl fishermen, 110 business actors/crossing services, and 10 light boats. Especially for the crossing service business, it certainly has an important role in the economy of the local community.A business will not run smoothly if it is not supported by family roles, including the wife or housewife of the business actor in question. The views or perceptions of housewives towards the sea taxi crossing business and its sustainability need to be analyzed. The problem can be formulated as follows: How are the Perception and Role of Wives / Housewives of Business Actors on the Existence and Sustainability of Crossing Services in South Lembeh District, Bitung City? The time required from the data collection survey to the preparation of the final report is 8 months, from March – October 2023. The research method uses survey methods. Data come from primary and secondary data and are discussed and analyzed based on quantitative and qualitative descriptive analysis. Perceptual analysis is done using the Likert Scale scoring model. The results showed that the perception of wives/housewives was very good and very agreed with the statement. This is felt by the wife/housewife at the same time with her family that sea taxis are easy to run, and they do not spend much cost and energy because they always wait for queues or turns and the sea taxi business benefits when viewed in terms of time and cost and it has bright prospects and is easy to do because it is assisted by a driving machine. As a further explanation, they wait in the queue where sometimes 1 day is only 1 time for the opportunity to pick up passengers. However, according to the wife/housewife, it will be covered by their husband's work as a motorcycle taxi driver and impromptu laborer for stevedoring business actors at Bitung port. The role carried out by housewives in the family of sea taxi business actors in Papusungan village is an effort to help the family economy, which aims to meet family needs so that their economic resilience increases. The impact of the dual role of housewives working in the domestic sector has a major impact, especially in fulfilling daily needs, such as food needs, education costs, and other household needs.