Dukuhseti Women in a Negative Stigma Environment: Simone De Beauvoir’s Existentialist Feminist Study

Abstract

Dukuhseti is a sub-district located in Pati Regency, Central Java. This area is infamous for the dark history of prostitution that flourished in the 70s. This condition still exists today, although not very much. The background and reasons why Dukuhseti women are involved in prostitution and the efforts they have made to get out of the "dark world" cannot erase the negative stigma that has developed in society. By using Simone De Beauvoir's study of the female existentialist, this study aims to describe the existence of women in Dukuhseti, Pati. This research is qualitative descriptive with research data obtained from interviews and FGD, as well as several supporting references and documentation. The results of the study generally show that the existence of Dukuhseti women in the fight against the negative stigma of society is still very far from Beauvoir's expectations. Even though some of them have managed to fight back and succeed by getting their freedom, most of them are still confined and unable to get out of this condition. To confirm their existence, Dukuhseti women must carry out transcendent processes, such as obtaining higher education, get work, being independent, and being actively involved in community activities.

Woman’s Existence in the Novel “Khubzun ‘Alaa Tawilati Al-Khal Milad” Based on an Existentialist Feminist Perspective

“…The findings of data ( 3), ( 4) can be linked to research that describes a women's freedom in marriage, explains the character's refusal to stop working and the character's perseverance in learning and the desire to realize her goals in achieving her intellectual existence, and women's independence. The findings of data ( 3), ( 4) can be compared with research that describes the form of existence of women as career women and intellectuals (Alqaryouti & Ismail, 2019;Iswandi & Muhammad Adek, 2022;Martini & Umam, 2021;Utami & Sholihah, 2021).…”

“…The study of existentialist feminism from Beauvoir's perspective is still widely discussed in several studies, including women show their existence (Iswandi & Muhammad Adek, 2022;Martinus & Marsih, 2022;Utami & Sholihah, 2021), the existence of women in the career, intellectual, social, and political (Allen-Collinson, 2022;Valls-Carol et al, 2022), women's authority (Alqaryouti & Ismail, 2019;Kasimbara, 2022;Priyadharshini et al, 2022), the biggest challenges for women to gain freedom and actualize themselves authentically (Gunawan, 2022;Kjellgren, 2023;Kurnianto, 2021;Martini & Umam, 2021), and women resistance (Dakhil, 2022;Kanatli, 2021;Reuter, 2022;Vinoth & Vijayakumar, 2023).…”

“…The similarity lies in the similarity of the theory that researchers use, namely Beauvoir's Existentialist Feminism. Whereas, the differences lie in intellectual women, workers, community transforms, and independent women (Alqaryouti & Ismail, 2019;Iswandi & Muhammad Adek, 2022;Kasimbara, 2022;Martini & Umam, 2021;Martinus & Marsih, 2022;Utami & Sholihah, 2021), the factors driving women to realize their existence (Gunawan, 2022;Kurnianto, 2021;Priyadharshini et al, 2022;Reuter, 2022), and women's role in society (Dakhil, 2022;Kjellgren, 2023;Valls-Carol et al, 2022).…”