Women in the Eye of Pesantren

Abstract

Pesantren is a religion-based boarding school chain that is widespread in Indonesia. Pesantren are often negatively stigmatized by a small number of people owing to the perception of the schools radicalizing religious values and demanding the obedience of women. In contrast, this study aims to analyze the way in which Pesantren education plays a major role facilitating the contribution of women in three domains, namely domestic, public, and social. Analysis of women’s self-conception and the role of women in these three domains was conducted using a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design and interview techniques, together with observations on female students in one Pesantren in Central Java and East Java and two religious groups in the West Java region. The results revealed that Pesantren education for women had an impact on the social recognition of women. Keywords: Islamic Boarding Schools, Pesantren, Social recognition, Three domains of women, and Women.