Construction of Women’s Roles in Patriarchal Culture (Feminist study towards modern Indonesian novels)

Until this time, most women’s roles have been constructed by the community and subsequently socialized through literary works. In a patriarchal society, the roles of women are constructed only according to the patriarchal point of view. This study described how the roles of women were constructed in patriarchal culture contained in Indonesian novels such as Sitti Nurbaya by Marah Rusli, Azab dan Senggsara by Merari Siregar, Kehilangan Mestika by Hamidah, and Manusia Bebas by Suwarsih Djojopuspito. Based on the results of analysis on the four novels, it was found that in general women were constructed to fulfill the roles in the domestic world as wife, child, and mother, also play a role in the public who participate in the world of education and social organizations. The constructed role of women benefits men and corresponds to patriarchal ideology. Keywords— construction of women's role; patriarchal culture; feminist study; Indonesian novels