Widows in Public Space: Representation and Social Reality

The existence of widowed women is still surrounded by stigma, especially regarding their activities in public spaces. A bad impression that still lingers in many people's minds towards a widow is that when she leaves the house for work or other activities she is always perceived as looking for a new husband. On the other hand, if a widow stays at home most of the time and doesn't work, she is considered a weak woman. This paper examines the form of societal stigma regarding the existence of widows, the economic behavior of widows, and their vision of the future. The results of the research show that the five women with widow status in Lasusua, North Kolaka Regency as the unit of analysis, in reality each of them has creative economic behavior and a vision of life that believes that all problems must have a solution. In their status as single parents, they are able to survive and send their children to school in the hope of achieving a better life in the future.