Mia, Secretary of the Regional Representative Council, Prosperous Homeworkers Union, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra

Abstract

Mia'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 a homeworker and was influential in the establishment of a women homeworkers' union in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra. Mia's husband initially did not let Mia participate in union group activities or training sessions which were supported by BITRA, as he was uncomfortable that training sessions were often held in hotels. Mia continued to attend these sessions and demonstrated the benefits of union membership to her husband. Her union participation and leadership skills have gone from strength to strength; she was selected as the Regional Network Coordinator for Indonesian Homeworkers for the province of North Sumatra and Secretary to the Prosperous Homeworkers Union Regional Representative Council and is working for unions to become more interconnected and for greater government awareness of homeworkers' rights.