GENDER ROLES' PARTNERSHIP AMONG RURAL FAMILIES IN ACHIEVING FAMILY WELL-BEING

Abstract

Referring to the targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the role of gender in institution such as family becomes very important and vital to all global development goals. Therefore, it is clear that gender and family are cross cutting issues with placing gender as substance problems and solutions, and family as a media that must be optimized function as the smallest unit in society. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) Describe the concepts of gender roles and gender partnership within family, (2) Present the research findings on gender partnership in relation to family well-being, (3) Propose challenging for the future. In conclusion, it is found that there was some of degree of gender partnership in the division of labor among farmer families. There was a dominating role of the husband’s access to, and control of inputs, credit, technology and farming institutions. Furthermore there was a division of roles in the specification activities. Activities associated with planting and maintenance, and finance was dominated by women. While activities related to technological applications ranging from soil preparation, watering, fertilizing, spraying with insecticides and laundering the results of agricultural production were dominated by men. The idea of an approach that combine between gender and family studies through a practical approach of strengthening families through gender harmonious partnerships is very relevant to be discussed in the future.