Conference Presentations by Ella S Prihatini
This presentation (with Prezi software) was delivered at the Curtin University Postgraduate Stude... more This presentation (with Prezi software) was delivered at the Curtin University Postgraduate Student Association (CUPSA) Inaugural Conference in Perth, 2-3 September 2015. It received the Best Presentation Award.
Women comprise nearly half of the population in Indonesia. However, their presence as politicians... more Women comprise nearly half of the population in Indonesia. However, their presence as politicians or political leaders is far from equal compared to the opposite sex. Since the fall of Soeharto's New Order regime in 1998, the political realm in Indonesia has been evolving searching for an ideal gender structure. Affirmative action policies are being implemented in the electoral system as well as the political party's committees. Yet, the result is not so much promising as lesser women elected to the parliament in 2014 (17 percent), a percent lower than the 2009 elections. This paper aims to analyze female candidates’ political campaign strategies in the 2014 legislative elections, in particular, the usage of social media and other Internet platforms in helping them winning votes. By using a qualitative one-on-one interview with 10 elected female MPs for the 2014-2019 period, I argue that female politicians in Indonesia are not substantially benefiting the social media for their political gains, despite the fact that Internet penetration has been booming in the country, where Twitter and Facebook listed as the two most popular social media in Indonesia, with over 100 million active users. Some female candidates are deliberately avoiding using social media as it will harm their campaigns. Thus, the utilization of digital communications fails to create political engagement between female candidates and voters in Indonesia. Internet activism is clearly not helping every politician in winning the office, and this opens many aspects worth to analyze for future studies.
Papers by Ella S Prihatini
E3S Web of Conferences
Twitter has been strategically used by many countries in the world as part of their digital diplo... more Twitter has been strategically used by many countries in the world as part of their digital diplomacy or known as Twiplomacy. The current pandemic highlights the pivotal role that Twiplomacy has to offer. Aside from being free to use, this approach is fast in terms of disseminating information that can improve a country’s international image. It also serves as an excellent tool to ensure protection for diaspora communities worldwide by providing updates to those in need of support. The Indonesian government is fully aware of these functions, hence almost all embassies and ambassadors are now on Twitter to push forward Indonesia’s international agendas. Our paper introduces a dataset which consists of key information from all Twitter handles owned by ambassadors and embassies as of 12 March 2021. The descriptive analysis offers a novel empirical exploration of how Indonesian Twiplomacy fares during pandemic times. Our data suggests that embassies have a substantial role in Twiplomacy...
Parliamentary Affairs
The persistence of political dynasties in developed and developing countries has been an interest... more The persistence of political dynasties in developed and developing countries has been an interesting puzzle as democracy does not automatically obliterate the domination of familial ties in politics. Prior studies suggest that women are more likely to be dynastic than men. However, it remains unclear on how parties are allocating dynasts into committees and whether it is gendered or not. This paper introduces new observational data on female parliamentary representation, dynastic background and committee membership of 575 sitting parliamentarians in Indonesia. The findings suggest that one in every four members of parliament are dynasts and the proportion among female lawmakers has increased from 42% in 2009 to 44% in 2019. However, the experience of dynastic women in relation to committee assignment is not uniform. The critical variable that influences their placement appears to be the political party to which they belong, particularly in terms of nomination and internal structure....
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2021
Women’s participation in decision-making process is imperative in achieving Sustainable Developme... more Women’s participation in decision-making process is imperative in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), as their representation will improve the quality of development in the society. Cross-national studies suggest that the number of women in parliament and in the labor-force are closely associated with higher government spending on education and health. Other studies highlight the correlation between women’s share in parliament with better economic performance measured by GDP per capita. Using a unique dataset for the years spanning from 1970 to 2020, this paper aims to unpack the experience in Indonesia, an emerging economy in Asia with a relatively stable democracy. The findings suggest that women’s presence in the national parliament correlates strongly positive with higher GDP. Also, with a weaker correlation, more women elected as legislator, bigger fiscal allocation by the government for education and health. On the other hand, the impact of women’s participation in...
This dissertation investigates challenges in achieving equal representation in the national parli... more This dissertation investigates challenges in achieving equal representation in the national parliament in Indonesia where a legislated candidate gender quota has been adopted since 2003. It examines the world's largest Muslim democracy as a case study by observing (1) the trends and challenges in women's political nomination, and (2) attitudes toward female politicians and gender quotas. This study contributes to key academic literature on gender quotas and women's political representation. It finds that women's electability into parliament cannot be automatically improved by the provision of gender quotas targeting the process of nominating women. It argues Islamic ideology plays no obvious role in limiting female participation in legislative elections, as Islamist and pluralist parties do a similarly good job at recruiting females and a similarly bad job at putting them first on the list. The study also suggests the open-list PR system is prohibitively expensive and it hurts women candidates more than it does male aspirants because women generally have less access to financial resources. This research delves into not only what hinders women in winning elective office, but also which women win and what happens once they get into parliament. Incumbency, age, and list position are factors that have statistical significance in predicting women's electability. Furthermore, women have been assigned to feminine and low-prestige committees more than to masculine and high-prestige committees. The dissertation employs a multi-method approach, conducting both quantitative and qualitative analysis. I draw on in-depth interviews with v legislators, party leaders, and voters to analyse the election outcomes from 1999-2014. I also used a dataset on 47 Asian countries in establishing a comparative perspective on women's parliamentary representation. vi Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, who have loved and supported me. I also dedicate this work to my lovely husband, Malikus Widyatama. This would be an excellent achievement which marks our tenth wedding anniversary! I also wish my journey will inspire our two gorgeous children, Safiyya and Aqila, to pursue higher education and to shape the world to become a better place for everyone. vii Acknowledgements Did We not expand for you, [O Muhammad], your beast? And We removed from you your burden, Which had weighed upon your back, And raised high for you your repute. For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. And to your Lord direct [your] longing. (Al-Qur'an Chapter 94: Ash-Sharh [The Relief]) My first and my foremost praise is due to Allah, The All Mighty. As every time I experience difficulties, I can only consult with Allah and cite my favourite chapter in the Qur'an; "The Relief". And thus "For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease" has been my mantra in embracing the fouryear process of writing this dissertation. This thesis would not have been possible without the help and support from a great number of people. I would like to thank my supervisors Professor Graham Brown and Professor Samina Yasmeen for their assistance and encouragement which allowed me to write and to finish this research. I enjoyed our meetings and discussions about Indonesian politics and women in Islam.
Social Science Quarterly, 2021
IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2021
Studies on media coverage and pandemics predominantly focus on the global North. Little is known ... more Studies on media coverage and pandemics predominantly focus on the global North. Little is known about how the media in a global South setting is reporting the development of such a global crisis as it evolves. This paper aims to fill the gap by observing an Indonesian anglophone newspaper outlet, The Jakarta Post. Using lexical and statistical analysis on 539 articles, the current study finds the focus of the coverage has been on how the government is managing the crisis. The framing by The Jakarta Post re-emphasises the very nature of the Indonesian economy, which is heavily relying on the informal sector, thus, making the decision to apply a full lockdown rather dilemmatic. The national-local political dynamics are also at play as it shapes the communication of crisis management in Indonesia.
Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures
Parliamentary committees are central in most modern legislatures in the world as key decisions ar... more Parliamentary committees are central in most modern legislatures in the world as key decisions are often made at this level. Consequently, women’s substantial representation in parliament is frequently measured by the appointment of women in powerful and prestigious committees. However, there is relatively little knowledge about how the politics of committee assignment operates, especially in Asian democracies, home to the majority of the world’s women. In this article, the Indonesian case is used to explore two issues, which are the gendered division of committees and the impact of Islam as a party ideology in assigning women to committees. Using a quantitative approach, this article examines a unique dataset of committee assignments in Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) from 2004 to 2014. Interviews with sitting parliamentarians are also used to complement the statistical analysis. The results show that gender bias is an enduring characteristic of Post-Suharto parliamentar...
ex aequo - Revista da Associação Portuguesa de Estudos sobre as Mulheres, 2019
Women's political representation in Indonesia has been rather limited and has fluctuated since in... more Women's political representation in Indonesia has been rather limited and has fluctuated since independence in 1945. In a hope to improve this situation, a legislated gender quota of 30 percent for candidates in Indonesia was first implemented in the 2004 elections. In this paper, we strive to answer the question of what is the role of international NGOs in helping the process of the provision of candidate gender quotas in Indonesia. By analysing literature on the importance of gender quotas from theoretical perspectives, examples on the implementation of quotas of other countries, role of NGO in democracy as well as in women political representation, and interviews with six participants from two Indonesian NGOs and two International NGOs, who were directly involved in the process of endorsing gender quotas, we found that the influence of international NGOs has been significant and yet indirect as the pursuit of affirmative action policy is only part of the bigger project in promoting gender equality.
Asian Social Science, 2018
As a strategy to improve women’s share in Indonesian parliament, gender quotas were introduced in... more As a strategy to improve women’s share in Indonesian parliament, gender quotas were introduced in 2002 and first implemented in the 2004 elections. Despite vast research on the influence of gender quotas in nominating women into parliament, little is known about male and female politicians’ acceptance and perception of gender quotas. This paper seeks to explore how distinct are male and female MPs in perceiving gender quotas and in explaining the roots of women’s political under-representation. Using a questionnaire involving 104 representatives (54 male and 50 female), the study suggests a significant gender gap occurs not only in perceptions related to quotas’ positive-discrimination legitimacy and efficiency but also in explanations that hinder women’s electoral success and which strategies might work best in overcoming the disparity. These distinctions matter because they offer insights as to the dynamics explaining why gender quotas are not resulting in a notable increase in wo...
Women's Studies International Forum, 2018
While there are numerous studies available on general elections and young voters in Indonesia, fa... more While there are numerous studies available on general elections and young voters in Indonesia, far less research has systematically studied the particular connection between young voters and electing female representative. This contribution deals with Indonesian young voters (17-24 years old) by investigating (a) their shared political knowledge on electoral systems and (b) their preferences in electing female legislators. Using data from 234 respondents with various backgrounds, it argues that the vast majority of Indonesian youth are relatively lessinformed with regards to the country's political and electoral systems. This paper demonstrates the gender gap exists in both political knowledge and preferences. It also suggests that young electorates offer a massive support to male over female candidates as nearly 75% of respondents are more inclined to elect a male parliamentarian. The study finds that there is no significant difference in terms of voting behaviour between young and non-young Indonesian voters during legislative elections, as both groups are influenced by gender stereotypes about the ability of male and female politicians to represent the constituents.
Substantive Representation of Women in Asian Parliaments
Advances in Southeast Asian Studies, 2022
The literature on the gender gap in political science and international relations (IR) has increa... more The literature on the gender gap in political science and international relations (IR) has increased significantly in the last couple of decades. However, little is known about how male and female scholars are publishing their works in non-Western-based IR journals. Our study aims to unpack this by examining publications and authorship patterns in IR journals published in Indonesia. The case study represents a non-English speaking country with pivotal roles in international politics and geopolitical aspects, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous nation and the third largest democracy, located between the Indian Ocean and the China Sea. The country is critical to regional stability and progress in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has over seventy IR departments in various universities nationwide, and one professional association that aims to support teaching and research on IR. We asked whether men always outnumber women in terms of publishing academic papers. What is the pattern of topics published? And are there any shared interests between the two sexes? Using bibliographic data from seven IR journals published in Indonesia between 2000 and 2019 (N = 783), this paper highlights some key similarities with previous studies in Western societies. The findings suggest women produce fewer articles than men, and 'gender homophily' among men limits women's leadership in scholarly publication. Yet, men and women shared equal interest in topics such as 'security', 'military', and 'governance', indicating that gendered preferences may not always be the best evidence to suggest that IR is a masculine discipline.
Women's Studies International Forum
AEGIS : Journal of International Relations
This is the first such study of the use of Internet by political parties in Indonesia. It also do... more This is the first such study of the use of Internet by political parties in Indonesia. It also documents parties’ websites performance index and online popularity for campaigning in 2019. The purpose of this comparative study is to look at how the Internet was used by Indonesian political parties approaching the 2019 elections. Internet campaign consists of two parts: online presence through political party website, and political marketing through social media. Total of 16 parties participating the elections next year were examined for how they are utilizing official websites and social media platforms. We created an index based on list of website features (scoring system) and then classify it into 4 variables (information provision, mobilization, engagement, and technological sophistication) containing 43 features. We also visualise the descriptive statistical analysis on parties’ social media accounts using RStudio software. The study found that despite half of Indonesian national...
Politics & Gender
This article responds to earlier research on the role of Islam as a barrier to women's politi... more This article responds to earlier research on the role of Islam as a barrier to women's political nominations by assessing and comparing parties’ efforts to meet institutionally required gender quotas in Indonesia. With the provision of 30% candidate gender quotas implemented since the 2004 elections, how have parties responded? Do Islamist and pluralist parties differ systematically in this regard? More specifically, does religious ideology influence how parties go about meeting quotas, recruiting female candidates, and getting them elected? Or do all parties face the same challenges when it comes to getting women into parliament? Drawing on a unique dataset collected from 2004 to 2019 legislative elections and in-depth interviews with central party officers, faction leaders, and members of parliament, this article investigates these questions. The results indicate that Islamic ideology plays no obvious role in limiting female participation in legislative elections; Islamist and...
Women's Studies International Forum
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Conference Presentations by Ella S Prihatini
Papers by Ella S Prihatini