Writers: Firman Noor (Vice Executive Director, InMind Institute) et al.
*This article has been published in Frontiers in Political Science (2026).
Women’s political representation in Indonesia remains limited despite affirmative action policies. Political parties as gatekeepers play an important role in shaping women’s access to leadership and candidacy. This article analyzes the habitus of women in the PDIP Regional Leadership Council (DPD) in Bali within the context of patriarchal Balinese culture and a male-dominated party structure using Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. This study employs a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews and secondary data sources. The analysis focuses on the interaction between women’s habitus, capital, and the political field in shaping gender-oriented practices within PDIP Bali. The findings reveal that political dynamics within this party cannot be separated from the habitus of the actors involved. Habitus demonstrates how gender norms are embedded among party members and interact with party structures to shape political practices. The interaction between women’s capital, habitus, and the political field also influences the gendering of PDIP in Bali. Furthermore, customary norms (adat) play a critical role in shaping women’s habitus, which often does not translate into a transformative gender perspective. Instead of challenging patriarchal structures, women within the party tend to accommodate or reproduce existing masculine norms, even while actively participating in both political and customary spheres. Consequently, this condition has not yet succeeded in breaking the masculine dominance embedded within political parties.
Read the full article at The role of habitus in gendering party: PDIP in Bali
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