Gender issues are increasingly becoming the attention of many people today with various arguments and controversies that accompany it, especially when analyzed through a religious approach. There is rejection in several regions and several countries because the term gender is often interpreted incorrectly, such as equality of women with men in various aspects of life by forgetting the true nature of a woman. Some even conclude that gender is a situation where a wife can fight her husband. Many similar views are heard in discussions and debates about gender which are often considered to originate from the West.
This debate is difficult to find common ground when from the beginning we have understood gender incorrectly and do not have enough strong and relevant references, especially if there are political interests that accompany it. In fact, if we look back at past history, practices of gender equality have been strongly established, including in the history of the struggle in Aceh. The leadership of a woman in Aceh can be seen, among others, from the struggles of Admiral Malahayati, Cut Nyak Dhien, and Cut Nyak Meutia.
If we want to look further back, there was Sultanah Nahrasiyah who led the Islamic Kingdom of Samudra Pasai. Not only in terms of power can we refer to the significant role of women in the past, in the economic field too, we can find many strong references that prove that women have had a strategic role in the past.
In the social, economic, and cultural life of the Acehnese people, the important role of women has existed for a long time until now. This view can be easily witnessed in various fields, including plantations as described in this book. Gayo women - especially those living in Bener Meriah Regency and Central Aceh - work shoulder to shoulder with men to cultivate coffee plantations which are the main source of income for the majority of the Gayo people.
Without denying their nature as women, Gayo women gracefully work among the rows of coffee trees after completing domestic work such as cleaning the house, cooking, taking care of children and various husbands' needs.
You can imagine how much work women have to do. Work in the coffee fields as demonstrated by Gayo women which has an impact on strengthening family food security, proves that they are not a vulnerable group. Gayo women are a determining group in building family food security which has positive implications for community and national food security. With more women than men, every policy that supports women's empowerment is an effort that has a positive impact on national food security.
The profile of Gayo women raised in this book may not be able to represent the characteristics of Gayo women as a whole, especially those who live outside Bener Meriah and Central Aceh which are the locus of this book's research.
However, several sources are the main actors whose "might" in maintaining food security has been tested for years. Gayo women have a formula for building a family food security system, even in difficult times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And this is the strength of women that has not been widely brought to the surface.
This book was born from a study involving many parties, especially women in Tanoh Gayo using a methodology that can be scientifically accounted for. So far, there have been many studies at Malikussaleh University that have been funded from various sources and then published as books so that they can reach more readers. However, this book specifically raises the gender side from the economic aspect (read: food security) and the cultural side, a topic that will continue to be relevant at any time.
I appreciate the collaborative work of the researchers and authors of this book. Hopefully, this book can be a reference for similar research, both in Aceh and in other regions in Indonesia, even the world, because gender issues are global issues. Several recommendations in this book are also expected to influence public policies that are more in favor of women.
Although not discussed in more depth because it is a different theme, this book also reminds us about compiling a more down-to-earth curriculum, especially in the Faculty of Agriculture, so that education is in line with the development of the times so that the knowledge gained in college can be utilized in the world of work.[]
Good work
Thank you @juliasjohn.
You're welcome brother