Resilience in the Double Burden: Women's Productive and Reproductive Labour in Indonesian Rural Communities

Abstract

The double burden experienced by women remains a persistent social reality in rural communities, including Kebondalem Village, Banyuwangi. Women are expected to manage both domestic and economic responsibilities simultaneously, often without clear boundaries between the two. This study explores how women negotiate and adapt to these dual roles amid social expectations and economic limitations. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and light observations with four women and one village officer as supporting informant. The analysis is based on Caroline Moser’s double burden theory and Talcott Parsons’s functional feminism theory to understand the interconnection between household and economic roles. The findings reveal that women in Kebondalem balance productive and reproductive work through resilience, cooperation, and moral commitment to family well-being. They do not perceive their dual burden as oppression but as a moral and social obligation that strengthens family harmony. The coexistence of male and female roles in daily life demonstrates complementarity rather than inequality, showing that social cooperation is the foundation of family and community resilience in rural settings.

ABSTRACT INDONESIAN
Fenomena beban ganda perempuan masih menjadi realitas sosial yang kuat di masyarakat pedesaan, termasuk di Desa Kebondalem, Banyuwangi. Perempuan dituntut untuk menjalankan peran ekonomi dan domestik sekaligus, tanpa batas yang jelas di antara keduanya. Penelitian ini menelaah bagaimana perempuan menegosiasikan kedua peran tersebut di tengah tekanan ekonomi dan tuntutan sosial. Pendekatan kualitatif digunakan dengan teknik wawancara mendalam dan observasi ringan terhadap empat perempuan dan satu informan pendukung dari aparatur desa. Analisis menggunakan teori double burden Caroline Moser dan teori feminisme fungsional Talcott Parsons (1955) untuk memahami pola adaptasi sosial yang muncul. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perempuan di Kebondalem mampu menyeimbangkan pekerjaan dan tanggung jawab rumah tangga melalui keteguhan, kerja sama keluarga, serta komitmen moral terhadap kesejahteraan keluarga. Mereka tidak memandang beban ganda sebagai penindasan, tetapi sebagai tanggung jawab sosial dan moral. Temuan ini menggambarkan bahwa relasi gender di Kebondalem bersifat saling melengkapi, bukan bertentangan, dan justru memperkuat keharmonisan keluarga serta ketahanan sosial masyarakat pedesaan.