Women and Village Funds: Seizing Feminine Space in Masculine Domination of Village Development

On the village development which was planned and carried out by villagers there is a contestation of gender stereotype issues. Since the beginning, village development has been dominated by masculine issues due to the patriarchal culture that developed in the community. The infrastructure sector occupies the largest portion in the budget allocation of village funds. Non-infrastructure development such as health, child welfare, fulfillment of minority rights and other social issues get a small portion. Village funds are an arena for contestation on gender stereotype issues. The results of research in the management of village funds in several villages in South Minahasa Regency show that the masculine issue is still dominant in the village development sector. However, during the past year there have been efforts to fight for space for feminine issues to enter into the allocation of village funds. This effort requires women who are active in voicing their rights and village heads who are innovative and open-minded. Nevertheless, feminine issues still occupy the second place in the rural development sector. Unfortunately, this opportunity arises because development in the masculine sector has been deemed fulfilled.