Women’s agency and their perceptions of the threat of eviction

Various studies (Hill, 2010; Kabeer, 1999, 2005, 2011; Kilby, 2011; Parker, 2005; Sen, 1999) present findings that women’s agency is very visible and diverse, as I also found in Kampung Rawa. Indeed, women’s agency is shaped in various ways that are influenced by specific contexts (Kabeer, 2005). In this section, I present the fact that women in Kampung Rawa have diverse perceptions of their needs and options in their daily lives. Their perceptions of their roles influence their analyses of the housing problem and their different kinds of agency. Interestingly, the perception of women in Kampung Rawa also reflects women in broader Indonesian society. I trace how and in what circumstances their agency may expand into visible or surreptitious actions to prevent eviction, which may be taken as indicators of their empowerment. This analysis will lead into a discussion of the strategies adopted by these women to prevent eviction.