Chairun Nisya
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Jember
chairunnisya13.cn@gmail.com
Abstract
Gender issue has always been there since the day one of humankind. This issue sticks together as the humankind develops faster than ever. In Indonesia, not many people are aware of this issue. Though as the history said that Indonesia was built on the land of women’s and men’s blood but gender equality is a thing with a name without meaning in Indonesia. Sometimes, someway, somehow the society seems to grow with the “normal” irony of this issue. The equality of inequality between boys and girls is all over Indonesia. What worse than that are many forms of the inequality seem to be supported by the culture of the society or certain beliefs in the society. Most of the time girls should be trapped in a beautiful nation daydreaming about their life outside the early marriage in the name of culture or their religious view or beliefs. That situation takes away literally every possibility of life for the girls. The idea of girls are judged by their past and boys are judged by their future makes everything seems to be worse for the future of gender equality in Indonesia. But what caused that “normal” tragedy in the society? Education, political participation, and the gap between women’s and men’s income are the three other major problems about gender equality in Indonesia. Those problems occur and remain unsolved in the society not because Indonesia does not have the particular law to stop them from happening, but it is the people who live and grow with the culture which they are living in. Indonesia is trapped in the mindset of blue and pink. Where pink should or must be for the girls and blue should or must be for the boys. Parents as the first role model for the kids of how a woman and a man react and take their position and role in the family are the most important thing that shapes the mindset of the next generation. School as the provider of formal education has the second strategic role in the shaping of the mindset of the generation. The need of combination between a strong family and school that promotes the idea of gender equality is needed by Indonesia right now. In this particular writing, the writer is trying to give a better picture of what is going on in Indonesia and what may be possible to be done to solve the problem of gender inequality.