The Strong Paternalistic Culture is One of the Challenges Facing To women in Leadership and What is the Perspective in Islam

Women's leadership is a significant topic in political contests across the world, particularly in Indonesia and other countries where the majority of the population is Muslim. In the present political situation and everyday life, there are a lot of women holding key positions in the community, business, and government at all levels, from the local to the national. 

Unfortunately, the polemic on women's leadership is not that simple. Even while women can and should be nominated to positions of leadership within a democratic framework, there are numerous structural and even theological barriers that keep women from achieving these positions. Here, the term "leader" refers to a wide range of contexts, including social groups, places of worship, and government or official roles.

Then it comes to mind "Why are women in Indonesia considered inadequate to become the highest leader in an organization or company?" The answer is because of the paternalistic culture in the political system in Indonesia. Before we get into a deeper discussion, of course we need to know what Paternalism is. 

Quoting the book Beyond Borders: Communication Modernity & History, paternalism is an attitude that asserts that one group has authority or better knowledge and therefore has the right to organize or control other groups. One example of paternalism in sociology is the tendency to make men the leaders of the group. 

The strong paternalistic culture in Indonesia's political system has become one of the obstacles for women in leadership. This culture focuses on the role of men as leaders and views women as obstacles to self-actualization and promotion. Furthermore, women are perceived to have a harder time building networks and relationships. 

Women are also often seen as better off staying at home as housewives than working. In some cases, women are considered inadequate to be the highest leader in an organization or company due to stereotypes that assume they do not have the values necessary to be a leader.

Then, in this case, how does Islam deal with this paternalistic or paternalism issue? As we know, Islam places women in a high position. Some of the Jahiliyyah Arab social institutions that were discriminatory, even tended to disrespect women, were successfully corrected. Initially, women were not entitled to inheritance, even women in the Jahiliyyah era were seen as goods that could be inherited. This tradition disappeared after Islam was revealed and women got an equal position with men.

Islam's view on the role of women in politics is complex and multifaceted. Islam does not differentiate between rights and duties based on human anatomy; both are always equal in the eyes of Islam, regardless of gender. 

Islam promotes the concept of justice for everyone and to anyone regardless of their gender. Islam is a religion that has liberated the tyrannical shackles of slavery, equal rights and has never differentiated between men and women in matters of universal nature. 

In Islam, gender does not mean an absolute difference and does not mean an insurmountable difference. Gender differences only mean the differences that appear in men and women when viewed in terms of values and behaviors. In politics, many Muslim women participate in practical political activities. In battle, Ummu Aiman and Aisha were listed as members of the squad that helped the wounded and prepared the food and water for the troops. In fact, Aisha once led the troops in the battle of Jamal.