Yuliatin Yuliatin, Lalu Sumardi, Mabrur Haslan, Muhammad Zubair

Women’s Access to Higher Education in Indigenous Communities

Introduction

Women’s access to higher education in indigenous communities. Explore indigenous women's access to higher education in Sade Village. Analyze factors like customary rules, community perceptions, and economic status shaping their educational opportunities.

Abstract

The research conducted aims to analyze women’s access in indigenous communities to obtain the right to higher education and various factors that influence it. The research subjects were women in the Sade Traditional Village who continued their education to university, and also those who had graduated from high school or equivalent but did not continue to university. The research informants were the parents of the research subjects and traditional leaders in the Sade Traditional Village. Data were collected using interviews, observation, and documentation techniques. Data analysis employed Miles & Huberman’s interactive data analysis, which involves four main steps: data collection, data reduction, presentation, and drawing conclusions or verification. The results of the study show that: (1) women in the indigenous community in the Sade Traditional Village actually have access to fulfilling the right to higher education, as long as they fulfill the provisions/basic principles that are considered good by the local community, namely: (a) maintaining the noble values placed on women, (b) having a commitment to complete education well, (c) ensuring that they can work sustainably in an affordable place without having to live separately from their family, especially their husband, (d) choosing a major/study program that can be directly felt by the local community, (2) there are various factors that influence women’s access in the Sade Traditional Village in obtaining the right to higher education, namely: (1) customary rules, (2) community perceptions about higher education for women, (3) an attitude of resignation to fate, (4) an attitude of not easily believing in new things, (5) self-motivation, (6) accessibility of higher education, (7) parent’s education level, and (8) parent’s economy.

Review

This research addresses the critical and often overlooked issue of women’s access to higher education within indigenous communities, specifically focusing on the Sade Traditional Village. The study effectively sets out to analyze not only the right to higher education for women but also the multifaceted factors influencing this access. Utilizing a qualitative methodology encompassing interviews, observation, and documentation, and analyzed through Miles & Huberman’s interactive data analysis, the research demonstrates a rigorous approach to understanding the complex socio-cultural landscape governing educational opportunities in this specific context. The chosen subject and informant groups—both women who pursued higher education and those who did not, alongside parents and traditional leaders—provide a rich basis for exploring diverse perspectives. The findings offer significant insights, revealing a nuanced picture where women in the Sade Traditional Village *do* have access to higher education, but this access is contingent upon fulfilling specific community-defined provisions. These provisions emphasize maintaining traditional values, committing to academic completion, ensuring work proximity to family post-graduation, and selecting majors directly beneficial to the local community. Furthermore, the study meticulously identifies a comprehensive array of influencing factors. These range from deeply embedded customary rules and community perceptions, through attitudes of resignation and caution towards new ideas, to individual self-motivation, the practical accessibility of higher education institutions, and the socio-economic determinants of parent’s education level and financial capacity. Overall, the paper makes a valuable contribution by providing an in-depth, context-specific examination of a vital topic. Its strength lies in meticulously detailing the cultural prerequisites for women's higher education and the complex interplay of factors, moving beyond simple economic or structural barriers to include cultural and attitudinal elements. While the abstract presents a compelling case study, the full paper would ideally delve deeper into the interplay between these identified factors and explore their relative weights and implications for policy or intervention. Nevertheless, this research lays a crucial foundation for understanding how culturally sensitive strategies can be developed to support women’s educational aspirations in indigenous settings, urging for approaches that respect and integrate local community values rather than undermining them.

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