The position of Betawi women : native people in Jakarta

Abstract

This study attempts to provide an understanding of the position of Betawi women, a Muslim group who are generally lowly educated, come from low economic class but live in a metropolitan city with high and rapid urbanization, industrialization and modernization. To make this study , three aspects of Betawi women's lives have been chosen for discussion, viz, education, employment and marriage behaviour. The research shows that urbanization, industrialization and modernization in Jakarta have not automatically improved the position of Betawi women as postulated by many authors. It reveals that there is no direct correlation between the stage of economic development or industrialization, women's economic participation and the availability of higher education for women. This study concludes that since industrialization and modernization have not changed the education of the Betawi dramatically , the factor which is generally considered to be of most importance in influencing the position of women, Betawi attitudes toward working women and marriage behaviour have also not changed. On the other hand, some changes in patterns of social interaction of the sexes before marriage that do not improve the position of women are attributed to modernization.