Mrs Masyithah Mardhatillah

Masyithah Mardhatillah is a tenured lecturer at the State Islamic Institute (IAIN) of Madura in Indonesia, with interests in religious, gender and Madurese studies. A graduate of two pesantren, Annuqayah and Nurul Jadid, she completed undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Yogyakarta’s Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University. She has also worked as a researcher at the Institute of Southeast Asian Islam and as a publishing translator and editor. Currently, she is an editor and reviewer of scientific journals and a regular contributor to mubadalah.id

Madurese Divorcee Women and their Negotiation of Social Stigma

My paper investigates how Madurese divorcee women negotiate common social stigmas that put them in a disadvantageous position. They are often accused of being potential home-wreckers,  female seducers, economically unempowered, and sexually aggressive. This study answers three questions. First, how does Madurese society stigmatise divorced women? Second, to what extent does the stigma infuence the way Madurese society interacts with divorced women? Third, how far can divorced women negotiate stigma?