In the sharia-based society of Aceh, adolescent girls navigate a complex “lived world” situated at the intersection of acute economic precarity and rigorous cultural surveillance. This study employs Giorgi’s descriptive psychological phenomenological method to explore how eight adolescent girls from diverse socio-economic backgrounds construct the meaning of success and career aspirations. Contrary to generic definitions of “financial independence,” the findings reveal that participants define success through the lens of “Interdependent Autonomy.” Financial independence is psychologically reframed not as a tool for personal consumption, but as a spiritual act of Filial Piety (birrul walidain) aimed at rescuing family dignity (marwah) from poverty. The study further uncovers a mechanism of “Negotiated Agency,” wherein participants actively manage the conflict between modern economic mandates and the traditional “Marriage Script.” Instead of open rebellion, they adopt a “Risk Management Strategy” by pursuing professional “Safe Zones” (e.g., teaching, civil service) careers that offer economic utility without violating the specific “Geography of Morality” enforced in Aceh. These findings highlight a distinct form of agency within religious frameworks, suggesting a model of “Pragmatic Conformity” where career aspiration functions as a survival strategy to satisfy both material needs and spiritual obligations.
Indra et al. (Tue,) studied this question.