Collecting data on women's employment in rural Java
Peluso, N.L.
Studies in Family Planning 10(11-12): 374-378
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 538790 Document Number: 499536
A research study was conducted to determine the economic roles of rural women in Java, Indonesia, who work outside the agricultural sector. The study was designed to create a system of job classification for small trade and industry which would distinguish among women's economic activities. The research consisted of 3 phases: 1) 8 case studies which included time observations of the women's days; 2) a household survey, selected according to the woman's primary occupation; and 3) a market survey among women traders of various commodities. The focus of the data collection was family roles and relationships and women's occupations. This collection of information is important because development and the introduction of technology in rural Indonesia is changing the fields of employment traditionally dominated by women. A summary of 1 of the case studies is presented. The data showed trends in occupational choice according to the life-cycle stage of the woman's family. It is hoped that these findings can be used in regional development planning geared to using the labor of rural women.