Families in Women’s Hands

Stories of female heads of families are rare, in particular when they are single parents, single providers, living in some of Indonesia’s outlying and remote areas. The odds are often against them—lower wages than men and the stigma of being a janda (divorcee or widow) affecting their efforts at finding work or getting loans. Many of them have little or no knowledge of their rights and are often on the losing end, on issues like divorce or physical abuse. Yet they survive, determined to give their children the chance of a life better than theirs. Tempo English Edition reports on how single women parents cope in West Nusa Tenggara, East Flores, and West Kalimantan.