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Talking about Reproductive Health should not be Taboo

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Mitra Wacana

Ganis Haryanti Putri

By : Ganis Haryanti Putri

Health is one of the priorities of human life that must be maintained to be able to carry out daily activities. Human health can be influenced by several factors such as diet, lifestyle, and genetic factors. Public awareness about healthy lifestyles must continue to be increased and intensified, including regarding reproductive health. Maintaining reproductive health is no less important to maintaining a healthy body because if reproductive health is disrupted, it will ultimately affect the health of the body as well. Improving the quality of each individual’s health is important to: increase awareness, willingness, and the ability to live a healthy life. This includes reproductive health. Unfortunately, the topic of reproductive health is still considered taboo to some.

The existence of these assumptions makes people reluctant to talk about it. Because children lack information about reproductive health (from parents and their social environment) it is not uncommon for teenagers who really have a high curiosity to “run” to the internet to get answers. On the one hand, this is a positive thing because as technology develops, access to information becomes easy. But on the other hand it is also important to be aware of what information is being accessed, because not all information available on the internet is valid or can be verified.

For example, in regards to the monthly cycle of women (menstruation). When looking for information about menstruation, a lot of data is available. Starting from the explanation of what menstruation is, what the symptoms are, what the cycle is, to the myths that circulate in society that have nothing to do with medical explanations. Situations like these increasingly highlight the importance of providing education to the community, both men and women, young and old, in order to get medically-certified information. What’s more, the conditions or symptoms of each person are different. Therefore, each solution will be different. If you only rely on the internet, the information obtained will be less subjective and tailored to you.

Using the internet to get information, especially regarding reproductive health, is fine. Everyone has the right to access, there are no restrictions or certain conditions. But one must make sure the information obtained is derived from experts, such as midwives, extension workers, doctors, and people who are experts in their fields. It is important to be educated on reproductive health as early as possible. Reproductive health education may also support the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Education about reproductive health in early childhood and kindergarten children can begin with simple things such as applying a culture of shame so that children do not open their clothes or pants carelessly, teach toilet training, teach them how to clean themselves after urinating and defecating, telling them which body parts which cannot be touched by other people and the function of each body part, as well as explaining what he or she must do if someone else touches it. Providing education about reproductive health from an early age is also important to recognize the symptoms or disorders of reproductive health in order to obtain fast and appropriate treatment for sufferers.

Providing education to children from an early age regarding reproductive health requires patience and involvement from various parties. Therefore, it is important to establish cooperation between the family as the core unit, as well as educational institutions, which is where many children spend their time. It is necessary to intensify the implementation of socialization and counseling on reproductive health in all elements of society. It should include everyone (old, young, male and female), as all have the same right to obtain education about reproductive health.

The hope, after improving education about reproductive health, is that maternal and infant mortality rates can be reduced, the number of child sexual abuse cases decrease, the community can distinguish what information is fact or fiction, one can understand better the symptoms they are experiencing so that they get the right treatment, and an increase in public awareness, so that talking about reproductive health is not a taboo, but rather an important thing to do.

Coordinator : Ruly

Editor : Arif Sugeng Widodo

Biodata Penulis

Full name                        : Ganis Haryanti Putri.

Jenis Kelamin                          : Female.

Agama                                    : Islam.

Email                                       : ganis217@gmail.com.

Organizational experience

  1. Staff Divisi Diskusi Censor Fisip UNS 2016/2017
  2. Staff Divisi Diskusi Censor Fisip UNS 2017/2018 
  3. Koordinator Sie Perkap Censorfest 3.0 2017
  4. Staff Sie Sekretaris Censorfest 4.0 2018
  5. Staff Sie Sekhumjin Seminar Nasional dan Konferensi Sosiologi Perkotaan 2018.

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News

Are American and Indonesian Women Really So Different?

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by Jacqueline Lydon – Volunteer internship Program Mitra Wacana

After growing up in the U.S., now living in Indonesia for about five months and interning at Mitra Wacana for three, I’ve been surprised at the similarities between conditions for women in the two countries.

On the surface level, women in the U.S. and Indonesia may seem like polar opposites. 

When comparing the two, people tend to focus on the behaviors and appearances of women. Women are judged for how they dress, how they act, and how independent they are, for example. 

Americans might judge Indonesian women for dressing conservatively, staying in the domestic sphere, and being seemingly submissive to their husbands. Meanwhile, Indonesians might judge American women for not covering their bodies, being too sexual, not focusing on domestic roles, or being too loud and demanding.

What I’ve noticed since being here is first, that these differences are less noticeable than I had thought, and second, that they seem to stem from differences in cultures and societal norms. There are different ways of understanding gender and gender roles, yet women in both America and Indonesia want safety, respect, and to have a voice.

There are many similarities between women’s behaviors and struggles in the two countries.

  • 51.9% of Indonesian women are in the workforce, compared to 57.1% of U.S. women
  • 17.4% of the Indonesian parliament is female, compared to 23.9% of the U.S. legislature
  • The first Indonesian woman was elected president in 2001, while a woman has never yet been president in the U.S.
  • The first female supreme court justice in Indonesia, Sri Widoyati Wiratmo Soekito, was inaugurated in 1968, while the first woman to join the U.S. supreme court was Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981, about 15 years later.

There are many issues – from sexual harassment to rape – that have a widespread impact on women in both countries, but it’s hard to have accurate statistics because many women do not or can not report these incidents.  But based on what is reported, it’s clear that these are major issues in both countries. 

  • 3 out of 5 Indonesian woman and 81% of American women have experienced sexual harassment
  • 15% of Indonesian women and more than 1 in 3 American women report being a victim of sexual violence 
  • 16% of Indonesan women and about 25% of women in the U.S. have reported being a victim of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual, or psychological violence from a partner or spouse)

With two countries in which women’s attitudes and behaviors seem so different, it’s surprising how similar women’s successes and struggles are. 

 Just last year, a poll in the U.S. found that only 29% of American women identify as feminists. (Feminist: someone who believes men and women should have equal rights.) In both countries, there are both feminist movements and anti-feminist movements (In the U.S., “meninism”; in Indonesia, “Indonesia tanpa feminisme”). In both, women’s voices are suppressed; women who advocate for themselves are often seen as too demanding, and their problems are ignored.

Why is there so much judgement for women’s choices in both countries?

Part of this is based on stereotypes, which are continually built up about women who act differently. Women in each country are taught that their culture’s roles, behaviors, and values are the better choice, and if only they stick to that, they will avoid the problems faced by women in different cultures. For example, women in the U.S. are taught that being more assertive will help them achieve more political representation, and women in Indonesia are taught that behaving modestly will help them avoid sexual violence or harassment. Yet the similarities in statistics prove that it is not the behaviors of women that cause these problems, and neither culture’s prescriptions for women will solve the issues.

Of course, there is not one simple answer for these systemic issues.  But, the main culprit of sexism around the globe is the patriarchy – the system that has been constructed to empower men and subjugate women. It is this system that has created this notion of victim blaming – to judge and blame women for their own oppression instead of the overarching system.  

Instead of looking at the choices of women or judging them, we should look at the system of patriarchy that is prevalent in both countries. 

I think we need to stop focusing on the behavior of women and instead focus on the way that society judges and oppresses all women, and then build solidarity to break down those systems. The ideal of how a woman should be and should act may be different in both cultures, but it is universal that women should be free from violence and treated with dignity and respect.

Editor: Arif Sugeng W

 

 

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