Fostering Political Awareness Among Muslim Women Through Muslim Women's Community Activities in the 2024 Regional Elections

Abstract

Electoral politics at the local level does not operate solely through political parties, campaigns, and formal political education, but also through everyday interactions within religious communities. This study examines how political awareness among Muslimat NU women in Sumurjalak Village, Tuban Regency, is constructed, negotiated, and internalised through community activities during the 2024 regional elections. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the study draws on in-depth interviews with 3 (three) active Muslimat NU members, participant observation, and documentary analysis. The data were analyzed thematically, while Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s social construction framework was used as the analytical perspective. The findings show that activities such as pengajian, tahlilan, arisan, and informal conversations provide social spaces in which women exchange political information, assess leadership qualities, and relate electoral choices to religious values such as honesty, justice, responsibility, and trustworthiness. Through repeated interaction, these values become collective points of reference for evaluating political leaders, strengthening independent political judgment, and rejecting transactional politics. The study demonstrates that political awareness is socially produced through the intersection of religion, gendered interaction, community organization, and local politics. The implication of this study is that Muslim women’s religious organizations should be understood as significant informal arenas of political socialization, women’s agency, and grassroots democratic participation.

Politik elektoral di tingkat lokal tidak hanya berlangsung melalui partai, kampanye, dan pendidikan politik formal, tetapi juga melalui interaksi sehari-hari dalam komunitas keagamaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis bagaimana kesadaran politik perempuan Muslimat NU di Desa Sumurjalak, Kabupaten Tuban dikonstruksi, dinegosiasikan, dan diinternalisasi melalui aktivitas komunitas dalam konteks Pemilihan Kepala Daerah 2024. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif dengan wawancara mendalam terhadap 3 (tiga) anggota aktif Muslimat NU, observasi partisipatif, dan dokumentasi. Data dianalisis secara tematik dengan menggunakan kerangka konstruksi sosial Peter L. Berger dan Thomas Luckmann sebagai perspektif analitis. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa kegiatan seperti pengajian, tahlilan, arisan, dan percakapan informal menjadi ruang sosial bagi perempuan untuk bertukar informasi politik, menilai kualitas kepemimpinan, serta menghubungkan pilihan politik dengan nilai keagamaan seperti kejujuran, keadilan, tanggung jawab, dan amanah. Melalui interaksi yang berulang, nilai-nilai tersebut berkembang menjadi rujukan kolektif dalam menilai pemimpin, membangun kemandirian pilihan politik, dan menolak praktik politik transaksional. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kesadaran politik merupakan proses sosial yang dibentuk melalui persinggungan antara agama, interaksi gender, organisasi komunitas, dan politik lokal. Implikasi penelitian ini adalah pentingnya organisasi keagamaan perempuan sebagai ruang informal bagi sosialisasi politik, pembentukan agensi perempuan, dan partisipasi demokratis di tingkat akar rumput.