Digital Spaces as a Terrain for Feminist Resistance Against Mainstream Masculinity in Indonesia

Abstract

This article examines how digital citizenship initiatives in Indonesia reflect feminist International Relations (IR) critiques of participation and power, which remain predominantly masculine and elitist in nature. Historically, political engagement and public participation have been structured around male dominance, framing participation as a masculine-coded activity. Although feminist movements have long struggled for women’s political inclusion, gender disparities persist, including in digital spaces. Internet access, an essential prerequisite for digital participation, remains uneven worldwide: in 2019, only 48 percent of women had access to the internet compared to 58 percent of men. This gender gap continues to shape who is able to enter and meaningfully engage in digital deliberation in terms of quantity and communicative expression. Through a literature-based analysis, this study explores how Indonesian digital citizenship initiatives, such as Jakarta Feminist, Emancipate ID, and networks of Indigenous women and advocacy groups, embody feminist critiques of patriarchal participation structures. The analysis focuses on how these initiatives integrate gender-inclusive practices, including vulnerable group-friendly design features, moderation mechanisms that amplify women’s voices, and gender-disaggregated participation data. The findings suggest that digital citizenship in Indonesia not only broadens opportunities for public participation but also serves as a political arena that challenges traditional hierarchies of power, contributing to the redefinition of participation in more gender equitable terms.