Center for Gender and Health (PGK), Institute for Research and Community Service (LP2M) State University of Malang (UM) again held the World Conference on Gender Studies (WCGS) for the second time, on Wednesday (6/9/2021),
The conference, which was held online, collaborated with the School of Human Resource Development and Psychology (SHARPS) Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and was supported by the Association of Indonesian Women/Gender and Child Study Centers (ASWGI). With the theme “Gender Equity And Social Inclusion For Social Resilience”.
The Chancellor of the State University of Malang (UM) Prof. Dr. AH Rofi’uddin MPd opened the event. This discussion continued until it was divided into two sessions. In the first Plenary session, acting as the moderator of the first session was UTM lecturer Dr Mohd Ferdaus Harun, with SHARPS UTM representative speaker Prof Dr Siti Aisyah Bt Panatik and ASWGI Chair Prof Dr Emy Susanti.
On the panel, Prof Siti Aisyah spoke about the changes in the world of work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the normalization of working from home (WHF) and the collapse of the boundaries between the public and private spheres. He said that the integration between workspace and living space today can be a picture of the future in managing the world of work and daily life.
“The facts show that most employees, especially women, experience a large workload. Because some housework and parenting can take up more of their time and energy than their professional work, it’s easy to stress them out,” she said.
Prof Emy Susanti added, the COVID-19 pandemic has also resulted in several changes in the family, including the contradictory problem of productive work outside the home that is paid and work at home.
“What we can learn from the changes in families during the COVID-19 pandemic is that gender inequalities are emerging at the same time. That is why this change needs more attention. Gender equality must be part of social and family change so that it will strengthen social resilience,” he said.
Furthermore, the seminar continued in the Plenary II session which was guided by the Director of International Relations, UM Dr Evi Eliyanah. As well as Monash University representatives, Dr. Nadirsyah Hosen, University of Konstanz representative Dr Mirjam Lücking and UM representative Dr. Ahmad Munjin Nasih as the speaker. The three discussed the debate on Islamic law with Indonesia as an example case.
Nadirsyah Hosen or commonly called Gus Nadir discusses the public role of women in the reinterpretation of Islamic law which has been dominated by men. So that it can accommodate the interests and experiences of women. According to her, a good social and legal infrastructure is needed that is responsive to women’s issues to be able to encourage the formation of a healthy debate on religious law, especially those that have a strong gender dimension. “Please debate the interpretation of religion, but we must not forget to prepare a social and legal system that guarantees the safety of everyone,” he stressed.
Dr. Mirjam Lücking, discussed the gender dimension in the mobility of Indonesians to the Arab world, including to Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem. Research conducted by Dr. Lücking finds that not only is the relationship between Indonesian Muslims and the Arab world ambivalent, but also fraught with elements of gender.
Indonesian Muslims who travel to the Arab world, he continued, on the one hand glorify the Arab world as the birthplace of Islam and a place of saints and pious people, but are also very critical of the norms and values held by Arabs, including those related to gender. so that in the end, this well-organized religion-based mobility tends to strengthen their Indonesian identity, including gender values and norms related to Indonesian identity.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Munjin Nasih highlighted the shift of female pesantren in the constellation of pesantren leadership. With the strengthening of women’s leadership in Islamic boarding schools, this emphasizes the importance of women’s roles not only in education but also in the production of knowledge about Islam itself. In the context of Islamic boarding schools, the role of female ulama is very significant in mainstreaming the experiences and views of women in the reinterpretation of sharia law.
“Therefore, the importance of the involvement of male ulama in supporting gender mainstreaming in Islamic boarding schools so that the gender equality campaign does not seem offensive because it is carried out by the oppressed. The involvement of men will strengthen that gender equality and justice is a shared agenda for the benefit of the ummah,” he said.
Meanwhile, the conference session was then followed by parallel discussions which were divided into five rooms with each accommodating around 15 to 20 presenters. The topics raised are very diverse, ranging from education, media, literature, health and others
