Patriarchal Culture in the Family and Stunting Children Incidence at Kulon Progo (Indonesia)

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the influence of patriarchal culture in the family on the stunting incidence in children. Stunting has always been explained to occur due to health factors, although recent studies showed that non-health factors also play a role. The methodology involved case studies, focus group discussions (FGD) conducted with key informants, in-depth interviews, and documents. Furthermore, the documents were used to confirm the primary data that was previously obtained through the triangulation mechanism to ascertain valid data and information. The results showed that patriarchal culture as a non-health factor affects stunting in children because it creates gender inequality in children care. This is a new perspective in explaining the incidence of stunting. Also, some limitations only apply to people with a strongly patriarchal culture. The theoretical implication is to fill in the gaps in the stunting theory which can be explained by non-health factor. The practical implication involves a change in the community mindset. Therefore, the husband or man must also be responsible for the upbringing of children.