Voting Rights of Indigenous Papuan Women in a Patriarchal Culture: A Study of Gender Equality among Indigenous Papuan Women in Yoboi Village, Sentani District, Jayapura Regency, Papua From the Perspective of Jurgen Habermas

Abstract

Gender equality has become a significant issue and a focal point at both the national and international levels. The government has implemented various measures as a commitment to minimizing gender disparities. Women, being a vital part of human resources, must optimize their abilities, intelligence, and their role as mothers. Therefore, the issue of gender equality must be intertwined in the development process. Consequently, increasing women’s responsibilities has a positive impact on economic growth in Indonesia. The Gender Empowerment Index (IPG) reveals a substantial gap between provinces in Indonesia, especially in the eastern regions. The cultural system in Papua, which adheres to a patriarchal system, results in the confinement and neglect of women’s voting rights. This research adopts a critical or transformative paradigm processed from the intersection of criticism regarding assumptions made by previous researchers. A critical perspective typically utilizes information gaps for analysis, followed by reconstructing a new narrative without gaps. This allows for the development of a new, feasible concept, enabling researchers to design a new approach. This qualitative study aims to describe and explain the suppression of voting rights experienced by indigenous Papuan women in Yoboi Village, Sentani District, Jayapura Regency, Papua. The results indicate that Papuan women face numerous obstacles in exercising their voting rights in education, economy, culture, and religion. However, there are several ways to address these challenges, such as creating a discussion forum to explore the potential of Papuan women and providing opportunities for them to contribute their opinions. Additionally, the roles of tribal chiefs and customary leaders are crucial in providing space for Papuan women to actively participate in the development of their villages. Keywords: patriarchal culture, indigenous Papuan women