The persistence of patriarchy in the palm oil sector: Evidence from the Riau Province of Indonesia

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the reasons for why women tend not to make ambitious choices in regards to taking on employment in the palm oil sector. An argument is made for patriarchy being the bedrock upon which women’s career pathways have been circumscribed among young women graduates. The hurdles they face in career choices in the agricultural sector are mediated by the masculine work environment of the palm oil industry as a result of employers favouring men; as well as social expectations and cultural constructs relating to women’s caregiver role in the family, ideal concepts around women’s physical appearance, and spousal selection. The authors demonstrate the primacy of cultural factors shaping graduate women’s decisions and the extent to which they have imbibed and conformed these values which stand in contradistinction to those publicly espoused in the palm oil sector; that in turn provides the final push for women to retreat from entering the sector in spite of having the relevant educational qualifications.