Syntax Literate: Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia p�ISSN: 2541-0849 e-ISSN: 2548-1398
Vol. 7, No. 11, November
2022
EMPOWERING
WOMEN IN RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AT SAUNG CIBURIAL TOURISM VILLAGE, GARUT,
INDONESIA
Rachmat Syam
Department
of Tourism Destination Management, NHI Bandung Tourism Polytechnic, Bandung,
Indonesia
Email : [email protected]
Abstract
In
this modern era, every human being has the same right to work including in the
development of tourism in a destination. Likewise, women deserve an equal share
and are empowered. Rural tourism is not only alternative tourism but is a vital
aspect of the community�s socio-economic development. Rural tourism is also an
important tool in upholding the principle of gender equality because women take
a large role in employment relations in rural tourism development. The main
focus of this research is to review the extent of women's empowerment in the
development of rural tourism in the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village, Garut City. Using descriptive
methods and qualitative approaches, data collection was carried out through
observation and integrated interviews where the participants in this study were
all stakeholders and women who were involved in rural tourism activities in
Saung Ciburial Tourism Village. The results showed
that women in the Saung Ciburial Tourism Village had been actively
involved/empowered in tourism activities, starting from technical staff,
lower-level management, to upper-level management where they were trusted to be
administrators and even leaders of village government organizations/agencies.
Keywords:
Rural Tourism, Women Empowerment, Gender
Equality
Today, the development of the tourism
sector globally does not only talk about the movement of tourists to and from
tourist destinations but also plays a vital role in upholding the principles of
sustainable development including the commitment to gender equality, empowering
women, and leaving no one behind (Khoo-Lattimore et al., 2019).
In this modern era, every human being has the same right to work, especially in
the context of tourism development in a destination. Likewise, women deserve an
equal share and are empowered. Women's empowerment describes the ability of
women to determine, control their own circumstances, and realize their
aspirations to live the life they have (Galie & Fanworth, 2019). The empowerment of women through tourism
has proven to break the perspective of women's role only to raise children
while men support the household financially. Through tourism, women's
empowerment is available in the form of education and involvement in
organizations (Aghazamani , Yeganeh & Hunt, Carter A. (2017).
Empowerment In Tourism: A Review Of Peer-Reviewed Literature. Tourism Review
International, 21, 2017)
The involvement of women in tourism
has been shown to increase economic and welfare opportunities as well as
improve social conditions. In Southeast Asia, most of the destinations that
have provided sufficient space for women's involvement in tourism development are
tourist villages. In recent years, rural tourism is not only seen as
alternative tourism but has become a major concern in its development and has a
major influence on improving the socio-economic sector of the community. Rural
tourism is also an important tool in upholding the principle of gender equality
because women play a large role in employment relations in rural tourism
development (Duarte & Pereira, 2018).
In Indonesia, the development of
tourism in rural areas is closely related to the term community-based tourism.
Community-based tourism is considered to provide opportunities for the
community to increase their involvement and participation in tourism so as to
provide benefits to economic, social and cultural conditions (Nitikasetsoontorn, 2014).
One of the tourist villages that
implements community-based tourism is the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village, Garut City, West Java. Saung Ciburial Tourism Village is the flagship of Garut City because it has succeeded in entering the 50 2021
Indonesian Tourism Village Awards. Tourism development in Saung Ciburial Village, prioritizes empowering local communities
and improving the economy (Nugroho & Suprapto, 2021).
As is known, tourism village development must uphold gender equality to achieve
sustainability because without gender equality there will not be sustainability
(Alarc�n & Cole, 2019).
Over the years the division of labor
still sees differences in gender and physical conditions. Although there are
still many inequalities regarding the share and position of women in employment
empowerment, rural tourism is a great opportunity for women to play an active
role, and perform professional functions with impact, which promotes gender
equality (Duarte & Pereira, 2018).
Therefore, there is a need for further studies regarding the portion and
position of women in the development of rural tourism.
Primary data collection, namely in the form of
quantitative data, was carried out by distributing questionnaires containing
demographic data on community involvement in tourism activities as well as
indicators derived from the concept of women's empowerment by (Scheyvens, 1999).
As for the distribution of the questionnaires, a sample of 40 female tourism
workers was taken where the population size was 97 people, with details of 31
male workers and 66 female workers. The questionnaire data obtained was analyzed
simply with descriptive statistical methods. Furthermore, the primary data that
has been obtained is strengthened by a literature study of several policies
belonging to Saung Ciburial Tourism Village and
previous studies as secondary data.
The principle of data analysis is to compare the
actual condition of women's community empowerment with the concept of women's
empowerment in tourist destinations which has been elaborated through a
variable operationalization matrix.
Result
and Discussion
A. The
Actual Conditions of Community Empowerment in the Tourism Sector in Saung Ciburial Tourism Village
Women in the Saung Ciburial Tourism Village have been empowered in tourism
activities in their villages. According to the results of interviews with several
women in Saung Cibural Tourism Village, the
involvement of women in tourism activities began in 2002 when women were
involved in programs such as Family Welfare Empowerment (PKK), Women's Special
Consultation (MKP), and women's involvement in the District Election Committee.
(PPK). In 2007 and 2008, women in Suka Laksana Village were further involved by becoming managers
of one of the BUMDes business units, namely the
management of clean water which was distributed to all residents of Suka Laksana Village. Until now,
women in Saung Ciburial Tourism Village have been
involved in other BUMDES business units such as being environmental
administrators (cleaners), food and drink providers, managers of tourist
cottages (homestays), MSME managers, receptionists, and are included in the
organizational structure of village managers. Saung Ciburial
Tourism and BUMDes management side by side with men.
This is following what is
reflected in the answers in the distributed questionnaire regarding the general
description of their involvement in tourism activities and the benefits they
experience. This can be seen from the questionnaire data processing which is
summarized in the following table:
Table 1
Proportion of Citizen
Involvement in Tourism Activities
|
Category |
Job Formation |
Number of Citizen Involved |
Involvement Percentage (%) |
||
|
Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
||
|
Managerial & Operational |
Membership
of Village Owned Enterprises as the body that oversees all village business
and economic affairs |
7 |
4 |
63.64 |
36.36 |
|
Membership
of the Tourism Awareness Group (POKDARWIS) as the operational manager of
village tourism |
3 |
6 |
33.33 |
66.67 |
|
|
Management
of tourist attractions and activities |
12 |
8 |
60.00 |
40.00 |
|
|
MSME
Empowerment |
6 |
0 |
100.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
Technical Manager |
Environmental
Manager |
10 |
2 |
83.33 |
16.67 |
|
Homestay
manager (accommodation) |
16 |
0 |
100.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
Food
and beverage provider |
8 |
0 |
100.00 |
0.00 |
|
|
Maintenance
of tourism infrastructure |
0 |
7 |
0.00 |
100.00 |
|
|
Tour guide |
4 |
4 |
50.00 |
50.00 |
|
|
TOTAL |
66 |
31 |
68.04 |
31.96 |
|
Source:
Data Analysis (2022)
From the table above it
is known that most of the job formations in tourism activities in Saung Ciburial Tourism Village are filled with female workers,
both in managerial and operational categories, as well as in more specific
areas such as even technical managers. This can be seen from the large
percentage of the total involvement of the female workforce which is equal to
68.04% compared to the male workforce which is only 31.96%. This shows that
tourism activities in Saung Ciburial Tourism Village
are carried out by the dominance of female workers from various sectors.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that for several types of job formations that
require special expertise and quite a lot of energy, such as maintenance of
tourism infrastructure, such as the construction of infrastructure and
maintenance utilities, 100% are still held by male workers. Likewise, the
management of the Tourism Awareness Group (POKDARWIS), which has many technical
matters in the operation of tourism activities, is still filled by men with a
percentage of 66.67%.
B. Forms
of Empowerment Carried Out in Saung Ciburial Tourism
Village
In general, there are
four forms of empowering women in tourism activities, according to what was
stated by (Scheyvens, 1999). The forms of
empowerment include:
1. Social Empowerment
2. Psychological
Empowerment
3. Economic Empowerment
4. Political Empowerment
Next, through an
analytical approach following the results of distributing questionnaires to 45
workers in the tourism sector as samples from this study, the actual forms of
women's empowerment in tourism activities are mapped according to the
conditions that occur in Saung Ciburial Tourism
Village. The following is the analysis and discussion:
Table 2
Questionnaire
Distribution Results Data
|
Dimension |
Indicator |
Answer |
||||
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
||
|
Social Empowerment |
There
is no discrimination in the use of public facilities and services |
0 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
31 |
|
The
division of work formation and each task is carried out fairly |
1 |
0 |
8 |
24 |
7 |
|
|
Profit
sharing and payroll are done equally |
2 |
1 |
2 |
33 |
2 |
|
|
Psychological Empowerment |
The
sense of justice and equality received fosters a sense of optimism about the
future |
1 |
4 |
3 |
28 |
4 |
|
Productivity
is always maintained and increased |
0 |
1 |
4 |
23 |
12 |
|
|
Political Empowerment |
Women
are always included in every discussion related to tourism activities |
1 |
8 |
5 |
16 |
10 |
|
Women
have the same opportunity to give opinions and make decisions |
5 |
7 |
2 |
11 |
15 |
|
|
Economical Empowerment |
Women
have the same opportunities as men in getting jobs and carrying out tourism
economic activities |
2 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
20 |
|
There
are no restrictions for women to work in tourism activities |
0 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
23 |
|
|
The
involvement of women in tourism activities has changed the welfare conditions
of the village community in general |
0 |
0 |
0 |
28 |
12 |
|
Source: Data Analysis (2022)
1. Social
Empowerment
Social empowerment refers
to the integrity of the community that is able to carry out an activity such as
ecotourism, where social empowerment expands access to public services or
facilities such as water and health clinics (Scheyvens, 2000).
Figure
1
Social
Empowerment Responses Analysis
Source:
Data Analysis (2022)
From the picture above, it can be seen
that in all the 3 indicators asked of the sample, a positive perception was
obtained where the majority of them agreed with the existence of fairness in
profit sharing and payroll, agreed with the fair division of tasks and job
formation, and strongly agreed with the statement no. there is discrimination
in the use of public facilities and services. This indicates that society,
especially women, feels that they have been equalized in the context of social
life.
This form of empowerment
has been explicitly described in Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village. One real example is the absence of discrimination in accessing
or utilizing clean water sources. In addition, there is already a clear
division of tasks in MSME management where men handle the process of collecting
raw materials, and take on heavy work roles in the construction of public
facilities while women are responsible for managing or maintaining these
facilities.
2. Psychological
Empowerment
One indicator of
psychological empowerment is an increase in optimism in a person due to an
improvement in the person's condition after being empowered. (Scheyvens, 2000) said that psychological
empowerment makes local people optimistic about the future, have confidence in
their abilities, are independent, and are proud of their traditions and
culture. This has been seen in the women of the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village where they admit that since there were tourism activities, they
feel proud to be part of the Saung Ciburial Tourism
Village because they feel their village has become better known by the wider
community.
Figure
2
�Psychological Empowerment Responses Analysis
Source:
Data Analysis (2022)
The table above indicates that there is a
positive perception of the two indicators in question, namely productivity that
is always maintained and optimism about future conditions thanks to perceived
fairness and equality. This can be seen from the majority of the sample who
agreed with the two indicators.
In actual conditions, the
women of Saung Ciburial Tourism Village have been
involved in preserving village traditions and can utilize tradition to produce
a product and increase their sense of pride and confidence in their tradition.
One example is that those who have a tradition of processing the Kewer plant into a product in the form of Kewer tea can mass-produce this tea and make Kewer tea a special product and welcome drink.
3. Political
Empowerment
Political empowerment
implies that every element of society has equal portions and points of view in
political activities or in the sense of having the same rights and obligations
in the formation of every decision from a program/policy context (Mardiatno et al., 2022). The main indicator of
this form of empowerment is that women have the opportunity to be involved in
official decision-making.
Figure 3
Political Empowerment
Responses Analysis
Source:
Data Analysis (2022)
Unlike the previous two
dimensions of empowerment, which predominantly found positive perceptions on
each of the indicators asked, this political dimension has almost the same
proportion of positive and negative perceptions. However, even so, the tendency
is still towards positive perceptions where the majority of the sample answers
strongly agree with the indicator that women are given equal opportunities to
have opinions and make decisions, and the majority of answers agree with the
indicator that women are always involved in making all decisions related to
tourism activities in the village.
In practice, women in the
Saung Cibural Tourism Village were involved and
dominated the organizational structure of the management of the Saung Ciburial Tourism Village. Women dominate the organizational
structure of the management of Ciburial Tourism
Village because women are considered more able to accommodate or manage
properly and thoroughly. Women can also voice their opinions regarding the
management and development of tourism in the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village in formal and non-formal forums. In addition, women are also
involved in the organizational structure of the Suka Laksana Village BUMDes
management, which is even led by a woman. This is following what was said by (Scheyvens, 2000) where political
empowerment occurs when all community groups have equal opportunities to
express their opinions and are involved in tourism activities and are involved
in monitoring and evaluating these activities.
4. Economic
Empowerment
The
main indicator in economic empowerment is to consider job opportunities that
arise in the formal, informal, and business sectors. Economic empowerment opens
opportunities for women who sometimes do not have the opportunity to work and
provides economic benefits or income on a regular basis that can be relied upon
(Mardiatno et al., 2022).
Figure
3
Economic
Empowerment Responses Analysis
Source:
Data Analysis (2022)
From
the summary of the answers in the figure above, it is found that all indicators
received positive perceptions, even the indicators of involving women in
tourism activities have increased the welfare of society in general and the
absence of restrictions for women to work received an absolute positive
response (agree and strongly agree).
In
reality, there has been economic independence and the opportunity to work in
Saung Ciburial Tourism Village, and the opportunity
to run a business for women. Since the existence of tourism activities, women
have been involved or employed in several fields to support the course of
tourism such as homestay managers, cleaning workers, food and beverage
providers, and MSME managers. Women who are involved in tourism activities
receive a monthly income that can help improve the standard of living of the
family, sometimes getting a bonus or additional income from the entrance fee.
Women also have the opportunity to run a business by fully carrying out MSME
activities from production to marketing activities.
Conclusions
From the results of the analysis and
discussion, it can be concluded that women in the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village have been actively and comprehensively empowered in tourism
activities in the village. There is no gender discrimination in each stage of the
implementation of tourism activities. The involvement of women in tourism
activities has even reached the top level where women are trusted as
administrators and leaders/chairmen of an organization or village government
agency. In addition, when adjusted for the four forms of community empowerment
proposed by (Scheyvens, 2000),
it is concluded that women in the Saung Ciburial
Tourism Village have fulfilled these four forms and have benefited from their
involvement in tourism activities. Therefore, the results of this study can be
a reference for other tourist villages in empowering women to support gender
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