Gender Inequality and Women's Subordination in the Oil Palm Plantation Sector in Bengkulu Province: A Secondary Data Analysis

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Gendered labor relations in Bengkulu oil palm plantations remain poorly documented despite women's substantial contribution to plantation work. This study assessed gender inequality, forms of structural subordination and women's access to economic resources across the Bengkulu oil palm sector using secondary data from Statistics Indonesia, the Directorate General of Plantations, policy documents and previous empirical studies. The analysis combined descriptive quantitative analysis, the Harvard Analytical Framework, the Gender Analysis Pathway and source and theoretical triangulation. Smallholder plantations represented an estimated 68.2% of the oil palm area in the compiled data. Women predominated in fertilizing and spraying (>75%) and loose-fruit collection (>85%), whereas men predominated in harvesting (>95%) and loading (>98%). Female labor force participation in major oil palm districts was approximately 49.8-54.0%, compared with 83.8-86.1% for men, while women's involvement in farmer institutions was reported at below 8-15%. Women were also concentrated in casual daily labor with limited formal contracts, social protection and control over land and plantation income. These findings show that gender inequality is embedded in employment status, task segregation, institutional access and resource control, requiring gender-responsive labor protection and sustainability governance.