Women’s involvement in politic is less than 30%, indicate low political participation of women in Southeast Asia, and Indonesia is no exception. Legislation in Indonesia has accommodated a quota of 30% of women in parliament, but in reality could not achieve this figure. This study investigates women’s political orientation—cognitive, affective, and evaluative—and its role in shaping political participation during the 2015 regency head election in North Luwu, Indonesia, a region that elected a female regent. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach, data were gathered through surveys and in-depth interviews with members, sympathizers, and leaders of Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), a faith-based women’s organization, alongside official electoral data. The findings demonstrate that women developed positive political orientations across all dimensions, which translated into active electoral engagement. Crucially, routine political education embedded within religious and organizational forums functioned as a gendered space for political socialization, enhancing women’s political awareness, emotional attachment, and evaluative capacity toward political actors. This study contributes to gender and political participation scholarship by highlighting how faith-based women’s organizations operate as alternative sites of political empowerment, challenging assumptions that religious spaces constrain women’s political agency. The findings underscore the importance of context-sensitive political education in advancing meaningful women’s participation in local democratic processes.

Authors:
Nurhamdah Zain, State Islamic Institute Parepare (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Parepare), Indonesia
Nabilahumaida Munis, Gajah Mada University, Indonesia, Indonesia
Emilia Mustary, State Islamic Institute Parepare, Indonesia, Indonesia

About the Presenter(s)
Nurhamdah, M.Pd is a Senior Lecturer of English Education and currently as Director of Language Development at State Islamic Institute Parepare (IAIN Parepare) South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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