Gender and Economics: 'The Power of Emak-emak' in Work-Family Connections Among Opak Small Business Owners in Banten Province, Indonesia

Kiki Khoifin ； Chatrudee Jongsureyapart ； Maya Dania

《Nusantara：An International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences》 3卷1期 (2021/06) Pp. 15-35

https://doi.org/10.6936/NIJHSS.202106_3(1).0002

摘要

After the crisis of 1997-1998, Indonesia has continued to show the highest rates of unemployment in Southeast Asia. Female unemployment rates have been particularly high, and Indonesian women therefore have extra motivation to create a better work situation for themselves by operating a small business to sustain themselves and their families. Many economically active Indonesian women find themselves working in the informal sector. In Banten Province, emak-emak (an indigenous term for 'mother', though often used more broadly to refer to married middle-aged Indonesian women) dominate the opak (cassava cracker) industry. Integrating work and family is an indisputably challenging part of business viability, both for women and men. This study aims to determine the role of gender-including gender prejudices and stigmas-in these work-family connections and finds that profound differences in work and family roles may lead to differences in work-related attitudes that ultimately affect business success. Family and business characteristics, human capital, and owners' commitment to the business are also investigated in terms of business success, and the dynamic through which work and family roles affect business success is clarified. Cornerstones of this study are theories of gender, family, and small business success, as well as models of gender differences and gender similarity.

關鍵字

the power of emak-emak ； work-family connections ； opak ； small business ； business success

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