Power Relations of Husbands and Wives Experiencing Domestic Violence in Dual-Career Families in Indonesia

Abstract

Indonesia has experienced incidents of domestic violence involving partners working in professional fields. The domestic violence has become a critical problem in both developed and developing countries. The number of cases of violence against women (VAW) has been increasing every year. Data from Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women year 2020 show that there are 431,471 cases. Earlier studies indicated that high academic and professional status achieved by women can reduce VAW. However, cases of domestic violence reveal that such initiatives are not enough and do not exclude academically and professionally empowered women from being victims of domestic violence. The studies indicate that power relations between husband and wife play a crucial role in determining the incidence of domestic violence in a family. This study aims to reveal power relations in dual-career families experiencing domestic violence in Indonesia. The study deploys the qualitative research method and applies the Connell theory on gender and power. This research was conducted in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, and it involved 44 key informants and 34 supporting informants from the general public. The results reveal three categories of power relations between husbands and wives, who faced domestic violence in dual-career families: male-dominated families, female-dominated families and alternating families (i.e., families where the dominant roles of men as husbands and women as wives can change). This study concludes that the ownership of intellectual and economic resources in themselves does not contain the power relations between husband and wife play a critical role in determining the incidence of domestic violence. cases of domestic violence. Based on power relations between husband and wife, alternating family, driven by women’s resistance, is capable of changing the structure of the family. In alternating families, the power of husband and wife are alternated. There are reversed roles between them. Furthermore, it tends to build a new structure where there is no hierarchical family position between women and men. In addition, the structural change will create an equal and ideal family.