Ideological Contestation and Gender Policy Reforms in Post- Reformasi Indonesia

The shifting ideological centre of gravity from what has been termed “democratic cosmopolitanism” to “religious nationalism” in Indonesia and its impacts on diverse areas of policymaking has been a subject of scholarly debate. This article investigates how these ideological developments affect gender policy reforms in post-Reformasi Indonesia. To do so, it develops a framework to examine ideological contestation by centring the role of Pancasila and gender politics in its analysis. By employing this framework, the article examines three attempts at gender policy reform: the 2008 Pornography Law, and two most recent bills on the elimination of sexual violence (RUU Penghapusan Kekerasan Seksual) and family resilience (RUU Ketahanan Keluarga). It is argued that the battle over the interpretation of Pancasila has ideologically shaped gender policy reforms through which political actors contest their ideal gender order and relations. This article concludes by reflecting on broader issues around gender, democracy, and ideology in post-Reformasi Indonesia.