Middle-class Women as Neighborhood Local Leaders in Urban Indonesia

Neighborhood associations known as RT/RW (Rukun Warga / Rukun Tetangga) in urban areas in Indonesia has proven to be an association that can build a sense of community. This cannot be separated from how the RT/RW carries out various (all) functions in all aspects of the daily lives in urban residential areas. The important role of neighborhood associations is also the result from governing strategies of the Suharto regime (1960s–1990s) which positioned them as the extended hand of the government to reach the community at the grassroots level. Academic studies on urban neighborhood associations in Indonesia focuses more on urban kampung, or densely populated residential areas with strong neighborhood ties, often referred to as areas with interaction patterns involving the closeness of one resident to another, which still reflects rural life. In many cases, urban RT/RW is associated with the kampung local leadership figures who are often male figures. There are very few studies on RT/RW in non-kampung residential areas. Therefore, this research will highlight neighborhood associations in middle class urban residential areas, which generally experience a weakening of the function of RT/RW. This has further impact on weakening of the urban community. The focus of this research is the local women leaders who are the heads of this association. Through micro stories of female RT/RW heads, this research tries to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by middle-class residential communities in urban areas in Indonesia.