Mita, Pekka Cadre, Bangkalan, Madura, East Java

Abstract

Mita's story is part of a peer-reviewed edited volume of women's life stories that draws on detailed ethnographic research of village women's lived experiences and how they, individually and collectively, have taken action to influence village development in Indonesia's multi-level governance structure under the new Village Law in Indonesia. The analysis identifies the processes of women's empowerment, their involvement in grassroots women's collective action, engagement with civil society organisations, and how women influence village institutions, policies, development spending and priorities, and new projects as well as social norms in communities.

Mia is the first woman in her village to graduate from university and established a kindergarten in her village in Bangkalan, East Java, where she teaches. For Mita, the kindergarten demonstrates that women should not just be identified with domestic work as they can contribute to their community. She became involved with Pekka and its focus on social protection by helping people obtain official documents, including birth certificates and family cards in 2018. Together with her aunt, Ati, Mita organises hamlet-level women's groups which combine prayer and discussions about gender equality and women's social rights.