The UGM Center for Women’s Studies (PSW) launched a book on Gender Intersection on Monday (8/3). The book launching is carried out in conjunction with the commemoration of International Women’s Day. The book, a collection of writings from FIB Master of Literature students who have attended Feminism lectures, contains various findings of gender intersection studies from literary studies.
Vice-Rector for Research and Community Service UGM, Dr. Ika Dewi Ana, welcomed this book launching. According to her, books containing collaboration between students and lecturers on gender studies need to be encouraged to become references in gender studies in Indonesia and the world. “Collaboration types like this need to be developed in studies and literature studies so that lecturers and students have many perspectives, postulates, views, and new thoughts on gender intersection,” she explained.
She said studies on the role and views of women in Indonesia must be encouraged because the views of Indonesian women in their roles and duties are different from those of western feminism. “We know that the local wisdom that has developed in society has succeeded in honoring women in contributing to society,” she said.
She said the role of women in the pesantren environment needs to be appreciated and studied more deeply about Nyai’s role in providing education and views on fiqh, views on women in the seminary tradition, and the Taman Siswa movement in seeing women’s roles. “It is necessary to explore this kind of gender intersection further,” she said.
The main researcher of PSW UGM and the book editor, Dr. Wening Udasmoro, said that gender intersection issues are inseparable from the results of the interaction of women in society who must face the domination of the social class, ethnicity, religion, and race. Gender intersection inequality often occurs due to social domination and ethnicity. She pointed out that the United States’ Afro ethnic groups were the most disadvantaged groups during the pandemic in the United States. “They were most disadvantaged at the start of the pandemic because they did not have access to houses. There are quite a lot of protests under Donald Trump’s anti-black and colored politics,” she said.
She mentioned that in the heatwave disaster that hit Europe in 2004 most victims were the elderly, both men and women because they had minimal air conditioning facilities. “There are thousands of people dying in France, Italy, and Germany,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fransisca Johana Ikasasi, Head of the Population Control and Family Planning Office for Kupang City, said that this book added new insight into gender issues. “Gender tolerance is not easy for many people to understand,” she said.
Although she has worked on women’s empowerment and child protection for six years in Kupang City, realizing gender mainstreaming policies in every policy is not easy. She is grateful that after working hard the Department of Child Protection and Women’s Empowerment is finally formed. “I have to oversee the women’s empowerment and protection unit. Approximately eight years. Gender must exist in government, gender mainstreaming from planning and implementation to gender-based policies. At least it should bring a gender-responsive Kupang City government policy,” she concluded.
Source: https://www.ugm.ac.id/id/berita/20852-psw-ugm-luncurkan-buku-interseksi-gender
