Kekuasaan dan Perlawanan: Kehidupan Patriarki Etnis Batak Toba (Studi Etnografi Masyarakat Batak Toba Daerah Simalingkar)

Abstract

Patriarchal culture is a social system that places men as the center of power and authority in various aspects of life, such as family, society, economy and culture. Patriarchy is a kinship system adopted by the Toba Batak ethnic group, historically and structurally has dominant power over women. In this case, the author wants to find out how the power system in men and the resistance system in women against the patriarchal system found in the Toba Batak ethnicity. This study aims to determine the form of power exercised by men in Toba Batak culture, then how the response and form of resistance carried out by Toba Batak women and describe the changing dynamics of the patriarchal system in the Toba Batak ethnicity. This research is a qualitative research method with an ethnographic approach. This research uses two data sources, namely primary and secondary data. Primary data was found through a gradual process of in-depth interviews, observation, and related documentation. Secondary data is a source of data collected through existing sources, namely documents, theses, literature, journals, or data collected by other parties. Based on the results of the research, it was found that there are many forms of male power in the Toba Batak ethnicity which are closely related to customs, daily life, and Toba Batak philosophies such as Dalihan Na Tolu. This phenomenon makes inequality in the position of women in the Toba Batak ethnicity. In the present, there has been a change in dynamics related to the Toba Batak patriarchal system where parents and young people have begun to raise awareness in patriarchy. Nowadays, there has been a change in the dynamics related to the Batak Toba patriarchal system where parents and young people have begun to be aware of patriarchy. The results of the analysis found that the difference in roles between women and men has occurred for thousands of years, starting from the hunting and gathering era. Men will do heavy work because they are physically stronger, and women will do domestic tasks because of their nature to get pregnant, give birth, and breastfeed, so that women have no other choice but to gather. This pattern continues and forms a social construction, although today both sexes can do both jobs, but culture continues to perpetuate this division of roles, especially in the Batak Toba ethnic group which is the subject of this study. However, today, both women and men have been open and have made changes to the patriarchal system. The main reason is because there has been equality in terms of education carried out by the Batak Toba ethnic group, where women and men will be given equal priority to receive higher education up to university. This awareness continues to grow and is implemented without disturbing customs so that there is balance within it.