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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.9
Publication Date: September 25, 2020
DOI:10.14738/assrj.79.8849.
Sumiyati, H., Yuningsih, N. Y., & Ylst, F. V. (2020). Leadership Functions Of Women Bureaucrats As A Leader In A Dengue Fever Disease
Control In The Department Of Health Of Bekasi City, West Java Province Indonesia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(9)
474-485.
Leadership Functions Of Women Bureaucrats As A Leader In A
Dengue Fever Disease Control In The Department Of Health Of
Bekasi City, West Java Province Indonesia
Hj Sumiyati
Master’s Program of Public Administration
Padjadjaran University. Bandung, Indonesia
Neneng Yani Yuningsih
Master’s Program of Public Administration
Padjadjaran University. Bandung, Indonesia
Franciscus Van Ylst
Master’s Program of Public Administration
Padjadjaran University. Bandung, Indonesia
ABSTRACT
The era of democracy has opened opportunities for women to have and
build a career in various fields including in bureaucracy environment of
civil apparatus. This research focuses on analyzing the role of
leadership functions of women bureaucrats as a leader in dengue fever
disease control in the Department of Health of Bekasi City in 2015-2016.
Leadership theories are used to analyze the themes. During the period,
dengue fever (DBD) disease is a disease with extraordinary status in
Bekasi City; thus, it requires particular attention on its control from the
municipal government of Bekasi City. The Department of Health of
Bekasi City assigns dr. Pusporini as a person in charge to handle the DBD
disease issue in the city. dr. Pusporini, as a bureaucrat, is a physician on
duty in the department. She is the head of infectious disease control
division. As a woman, it is not an easy task to be a leader with
considerable responsibilities.
Keywords: Leadership, Bureaucracy, Gender, and Dengue Fever.
INTRODUCTION
Global movement to solve women inequality issue has been done by the UN since decades ago,
which is in 1976-1985. It follows up by the establishment of the National Mechanism for the
Advancement of Women in every nation. The signing is utilized to monitor and fight for the
movement opportunities. Indonesian government commitment in this case is manifested through
an effort to improve woman status and condition by forming a Junior Minister of Female
Empowerment (Menmud-UPW) in 1978 that changes into the State Minister of Woman Affairs
(Meneg UPW). Since 1998 until the United Indonesia Cabinet I, the ministry nomenclature changes
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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.79.8849 475
Sumiyati, H., Yuningsih, N. Y., & Ylst, F. V. (2020). Leadership Functions Of Women Bureaucrats As A Leader In A Dengue Fever Disease Control In The
Department Of Health Of Bekasi City, West Java Province Indonesia. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(9) 474-485.
into the State Ministry of Women Empowerment (Kementerian Negara Pemberdayaan Perempuan
(KNPP)). In the United Indonesia Cabinet II hitherto, the nomenclature has changed into the
Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (Kemeneg PP-PA).
(https://www.komnasperempuan.go.id).
The era of democracy has opened widest opportunities for every citizen including women to have
and build a career in various fields as well as in government employee (PNS) environment or known
as civil apparatus (ASN). Despite the discretion for women to have and build a career in the
bureaucratic environment, in reality there are only a small number of women who could achieve an
important position in the bureaucrat environment. It could be seen from the ratio of the number of
male to female bureaucrats who take vital position, especially in echelon III and II. It includes those
positions that have direct contact with public services. Whereas, if women bureaucrats are provided
with more portion in essential positions in the echelon III and II, it will have positive impacts on the
society as well as on the implementation of government programs, local as well as central
government.
In terms of professionalism, woman empowerment institutions require more support from
professionals who understand woman issues in the gender-oriented development context. The
professionalism should also be encouraged by formation completeness that could identify the issue
map as well as map of women involvement for development.
Development of Indonesian society as a consequence of national development for the last three
decades engenders various new demands in leadership quality and capacity in all life sectors.
Capabilities, integrity, and vision expected from a current leader are different to those conveyed by
the predecessors. Characters to be built in the future government leadership system are those that
are democracy and are manifested in accommodative, sensitive, and responsive attitudes. Civil
servants in Indonesia indicate a spike growth in the period of 1974-1984. In 1974 there were
1,674,871 central as well as regional civil servants. The number increased in 1984 to 2,785,646 civil
servants or increased by 66 percent for 10 years. In the current era, based on the latest data of the
state staffing agency (Badan Kepegawaian Negara/BKN), the number of PNS in Indonesia (as of June
2016) is 4,538,154 people that spread in the central (ministries/institutions) of 950,843 people and
in the region of 3,587,311 people.
In 2014, of all the civil servants in the ministry sector only 37.18 percent are female. Total echelon
official quota in 2014 is 7.31 percent and of the small percentage the quota is dominated by male of
77.41 percent and only 22.59 percent is female. Most people might unaware or even aware of the
change in the composition of bureaucrats; therefore, to prevent woman domination some
restrictions applied for women to take certain higher positions.
Likewise in Bekasi City, the number of PNS in the Bekasi Municipal Government in 2015 was 17,988
people. According to data from the Bureau of Statistics of Bekasi City issued in December 2016 on
the number of civil servants based on the department/government institution and sexes in the city
in 2015, there were 7,214 women bureaucrats (Badan Pusat Statisik Kota Bekasi, 2016). It can be
stated that opportunities for women to influence fairer and democratic decisions in education of
gender-oriented development programs are limited.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 9, September-2020
Table 1: Number of Government Employee by Rank and by Sexes 2015
Rank
Sex
Total
Male Female
(1) (2) (3) (4)
I 383 11 394
II 1,622 852 2,474
III 2,429 3,732 6,161
IV 1,295 2,619 3,914
Total 5,729 7,214 12,943
2014 5,633 7,081 12,714
2013 5,641 7,090 12,731
2012 5,853 7,270 13,123
Source: Data of BPS of Bekasi City
With the rapid growth of population, it will have impact on the rise of issues in the societies,
especially in public service field by bureaucrats in the Bekasi Municipal Government. It is peculiarly
in the role of women bureaucrats in public offices related to or directly related to the societies. Not
to mention, Bekasi City as a buffer city of the nation capital city has complex issues compared to
other regions. Several cases such as domestic violence (KDRT), out of ordinary criminal cases, and
the arrest of people who involved in terrorism acts that emerge in media took place in Bekasi City.
These cases damage the image of women in Bekasi City and influence participation level in the
context of their involvement in bureaucratic ranks in Bekasi City.
Woman roles tend to increase every year in the bureaucracy. The increase occurs in several
formations except in important/vital formations or offices (echelon II, III, and IV). As the
aforementioned, the existing data implies that the Department of Health of Bekasi City, in particular,
has succeeded in the involvement of woman quota in the profession of bureaucrat/ASN where the
number of woman involved is larger than that of men.
In the civil servant bureaucracy so far women mostly take part in education field as a teacher and
in health field as medical personnel. As regards other fields, especially those related to technical
formation, the number of women involved is still limited. Career promotion in the bureaucrat
environment has clear stages. Each employee, male or female, has equal opportunities to be in a
certain position. The reality, however, is different as there are unwritten restrictions that are
generally subjective and guided by local values and norms that become the inhibiting factors of
career path for women bureaucrats. There should be a unity of understanding and perception about
the notion of gender equality. It is a form of commitment to respect for human dignity both male
and female as God’s creature that must be treated in accordance with their humanity values. It is
not merely a fight for one gender, particularly related to issues in the scope of Bekasi Municipal
government bureaucracy.
In the Bekasi City Regional Working Units, the Department of Health has a sufficient woman
involvement in its agency. The department has more woman employees compared to male.