WIDOWS IN PUBLIC SPACE: REPRESENTATION AND SOCIAL REALITY

Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi (JURKAMI) http://jurnal.stkippersada.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/JPE JURKAMI Volume 9, Nomor 1, 2024 WIDOW IN PUBLIC SPACE: REPRESENTATION AND SOCIAL REALITY Ahmadin Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia Author Email: Article History: Received: October 2023 Revision: December 2023 Accepted: March 2024 Published: April 2024 Keywords: Widow; Public Space; Social Reality Sejarah Artikel Diterima: Oktober 2023 Direvisi: Desember 2023 Disetujui: Maret 2024 Diterbitkan: April 2024 Kata kunci: Janda; Ruang Publik Realitas Sosial Abstract: The existence of widowed women is still surrounded by stigma, particularly in their activities in public spaces. A negative impression persists in the minds of many towards widows; when they leave their homes for work or other activities, they are often perceived as seeking a new spouse. Conversely, if a widow stays home and does not work, she is seen as a weak woman. The aim of this research is to examine the societal stigma towards the existence of widows, their economic behaviors, and their outlook on the future. The research methods employed include observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis proceeds through stages of data reduction, data display, conclusion drawing, and verification. The research concludes that the five widowed women in Lasusua, North Kolaka Regency, serve as the units of analysis. In reality, each exhibits creative economic behaviors and holds a life vision that believes every problem has a solution. As single parents, they are capable of sustaining themselves and providing education for their children, with hopes for a better life in the future. Abstrak: Keberadaan perempuan berstatus janda hingga kini masih terus diliputi stigma terutama pada aktivitasnya di ruang publik. Sebuah kesan buruk yang masih melekat dalam pikiran banyak orang terhadap seorang janda, yakni saat ia meninggalkan rumah untuk bekerja maupun aktivitas lain selalu dipersepsikan mencari calon suami baru. Di sisi lain jika seorang janda lebih banyak tinggal di rumah dan tidak bekerja, justru dianggap sebagai perempuan lemah. Tujuan peneltian ini adalah mengkaji tentang bentuk stigma masyarakat tentang eksistensi janda, perilaku ekonomi janda, serta visi hidupnya tentang masa depan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan: observasi, wawancara, dam dokumentasi. Analisis data dilakukan melalui tahapan reduksi data, display data, penarikan kesimpulan, dan verifikasi. Kesimpulan penelitian ini bahwa kelima perempuan berstatus janda di Lasusua Kebupaten Kolaka Utara sebagai unit analisis, dalam kenyataannya masing-masing memiliki perilaku ekonomi kreatif serta visi hidup yang meyakini semua masalah pasti ada solusinya. Dalam statusnya yang single parent mereka mampu bertahan hidup serta menyekolahkan anak-anaknya dengan harapan dapat meraih hidup yang lebih baik di masa mendatang. How to Cite: Ahmadin. 2024. Widow In Public Space: Representation and Social Reality Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi (JURKAMI), 9 (1) DOI : 10.31932/jpe.v9i1.2847 INTRODUCTION Recent studies on public space have been carried out from aspects of history, sociology, economics, culture, urban planning and spatial planning, as well as various approaches from other scientific This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-SA License Copyright ©2024, The Author Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi (JURKAMI) | e-ISSN 2541-0938 p-ISSN 2657-1528 2 | Jurnal Pendidikan Ekonomi (JURKAMI) JURKAMI Volume 9, Nomor 1, 2024 http://jurnal.stkippersada.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/JPE disciplines. The importance of public space and the characteristics of public space have at least been introduced earlier by Habermas (Ahmadin, Kurniawan, et al., 2023) as an important need for society regarding aspirations. Theoretically, Habermas introduced public space through the term 'Public Sphere' (Habermas, 2020) in the book "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Gourgeois Society". This concept was built from a portrait of spatial reality created by a group of people from the bourgeoisie in 18th century Germany who yearned for freedom of opinion and freedom of opinion in expressing their aspirations. Habermas also perceives public space as a political representation that functions as an arena for political subjects to articulate their interests (Rosa, 2022). As time goes by and changes in society move so quickly, public spaces emerge in various forms which are considered very important and require the human spirit in their atmosphere. In a book entitled "Whose public space? International case studies in urban design and development”, about the importance of creating accessible public spaces as one of the characteristics of cities that serve the wider community (Madanipour, 2021). Furthermore, it also explains the important function of public space as a means of overcoming tensions and giving rise to urbanism that encourages social integration and tolerance (Kent, 2022). Apart from that, the most important thing in city development is not only the design of public spaces but also environmental responsibility (Carmona, 2021). Public space, which is then interpreted as a place where people gather with the same goals, is also not limited to real space but also virtual space (Ahmadin, Nugroho, et al., 2023). From the aspect of its function, public space today is imagined as a place capable of accommodating public interests. This paper presents public space as a stage for social activity where the actors are widows or women with single parent status who struggle against stigma in order to preserve the lives of both themselves and their children. The interesting thing about the phenomenon of the struggle of single parent women in conquering the hardships of life is their economic strategy and behavior as well as the patterns of space use they use. Apart from that, this article also explains the vision of life for widows which motivates them to work and try. Young widows and older widows have different ways of perceiving daily life, the future, and the practice of using public spaces for both income-earning and leisure activities. In general, a widow is defined as a woman who is unmarried (does not have a husband) because she is divorced or left by her husband. Research on widows has been widely carried out and received serious attention from various circles, especially the frequent existence of widows who are considered weak, helpless and poor. In a research result that collected various data and facts about the narrative of the lives of widows in various countries, among other things, it was stated that their condition was worrying. The results of a study conducted by Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, showed that throughout the world there are at least 245 million women who are widows and more than 115 million of them live in poverty. In fact, in many cases it is said that widows (...truncated)