SEPEDA HIJAU DAN SUBORDINASI: MENGGUGAT REALITAS PATRIARKI DALAM SINEMA WADJDA

Abstract

The existence of women within a patriarchal socio-cultural structure frequently triggers issues of marginalization and the restriction of rights, as represented in the Saudi Arabian cinema titled Wadjda. This study aims to deconstruct the driving factors of gender inequality, identify the roles of women, and expose the realities of gender discrimination depicted in the film. Employing a descriptive qualitative method based on a liberal feminism analytical framework, the research data were extracted from the characters' utterances and actions. The results indicate that while female characters in the film attempt to assume roles in the public sector—such as educators, medical workers, and traders—they remain fettered by the construct of a double burden, as they are obliged to bear full responsibility for domestic chores. Furthermore, the study identifies five primary factors causing gender inequality: subordination, stereotyping, double burden, marginalization, and sexual violence. These factors manifest in tangible discriminatory realities, including the unilateral deprivation of financial property rights, polygamy practices driven by the absence of male heirs, verbal sexual harassment, the erasure of female existence from the family lineage tree, and forced early marriages. In conclusion, although women relentlessly strive for independence and presence in the public sphere, patriarchal cultural hegemony continues to enforce repressive boundaries that perpetuate the subjugation of women's rights, preventing fundamental gender equality from being fully realized.