NORMALISASI KETIMPANGAN GENDER MELALUI PAREBASAN DAN TENGKA: KAJIAN KRITIS ATAS PENDIDIKAN PEREMPUAN MADURA

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the role of Parebasan and Tengka as cultural mechanisms that normalize gender inequality in women’s education within Madurese society, particularly in Pragaan and Guluk-Guluk Districts, Sumenep Regency. The study is grounded in the persistent structural inequality in women’s access to education in communities with strong local cultural bonds, where traditional values often serve as social justification for restricting women’s roles and mobility. This research focuses on how cultural language and social norms function symbolically and morally in shaping collective perceptions of women’s education. This study employs a qualitative approach using participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation methods. The material objects of the research include Parebasan (Madurese cultural expressions), the Tengka system (social ethics), and women’s lived experiences related to educational decisions and early marriage practices. Data were collected from community leaders, parents, young women, and educational stakeholders in the research locations. The findings reveal that Parebasan operates as a symbolic instrument that internalizes patriarchal values through everyday cultural narratives, while Tengka functions as a social control mechanism based on morality, shame (malo), and family honor (ajhina). These cultural mechanisms simultaneously limit women’s social mobility, deprioritize girls’ education, and legitimize child marriage as a socially acceptable normative solution. This study demonstrates that gender inequality in education is reproduced subtly through cultural normalization, highlighting the importance of cultural transformation and reinterpretation of local values to promote gender-equitable educational access.

Keywords: Parebasan, Tengka, women’s education, gender inequality, Madurese culture.