Women’s invisible labor in coconut sugar farming: Insights from standpoint theory and gender-responsive policies

Abstract

Background:  In various agricultural sectors, women make significant contributions to all stages of agricultural activities, yet their presence often fails to receive equal social and economic recognition. One subsector that clearly illustrates this issue is coconut sugar farming, particularly in rural areas of Banyumas. This study aims to reveal the invisibility of women's roles in traditional agricultural systems and to understand how women interpret, negotiate, and maintain their existence within a masculine social structure. Through the Standpoint Theory approach, this study seeks to reveal how these forms of invisibility are formed and reproduced through culture, economics, and everyday language. Methods: Through observation and in-depth interviews with women farmers in Cilongok District, Banyumas, this study seeks to reveal the experiences of women farmers in the coconut sugar production process. The data analysis technique used in this study was Braun & Clarke's Thematic Analysis. Findings: The study found that the invisibility of women's roles in the coconut sugar production process is evident in their lack of formal recognition and access to institutional facilities. Women are also faced with the double burden of having to juggle their work processing palm sap with their domestic duties. Nevertheless, women farmers view their roles as a consequence of the formal system's perspective, which defines work risks based on masculine standards. Conclusion: Therefore, there needs to be formal recognition and economic empowerment of women's contributions to the coconut sugar industry, which have been neglected by patriarchal culture. This is important for maintaining the sustainability of this traditional industry. Novelty/Originality of this Article: The novelty of this research lies in revealing gender inequality and the invisibility of women's roles in the coconut sugar industry in Banyumas through the perspective of women themselves, as well as in proposing gender-responsive labor protection policies for women farmers in the agricultural sector.