Identification of Women’s Participation in the Household Economy in the Agricultural Sector

Abstract

The role of agricultural development is increasingly visible from the ability of the agricultural sector to contribute to Indonesia's income, including in the absorption of labor. The development of human resource aspects in the agricultural sector is key in the long-term development of the agricultural sector. Increasing the capacity of women as an important part of human resources in the agricultural sector has not yet been implemented optimally. Various efforts made to improve access to information as a means of acquiring knowledge for farmers still do not involve many women in it. The role of women in the agricultural sector is undeniable. The push for gender equality itself provides space for women to be more involved in the economy, both in terms of quantity and quality. This research aimed to determine the characteristics of women farmers and to identify women's participation in household economic activities in the agricultural sector, especially Kemuning Lor Village, Jember Regency. Based on the results, it was known that the participation rate of women in playing a role in supporting the family economy was 64%. As many as 25% of the female population who worked in agriculture were landowners/farmers. Then as many as 6% of the female population worked as odd farm laborers, 12% as coffee farmers, 18% as sugarcane workers, 14% as workers in the non-formal sector such as tailors, selling food, stalls. The partial test showed that the most influential variable for working women was income with Exp(B) of 629,876 meaning that the higher the wife's income, the higher the tendency of women to work.