NARRATIVES AND JOURNALISTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER EQUALITY ISSUES

Abstract

News coverage of divorce lawsuits filed by female teachers after obtaining the Decree of Government Employees with Work Agreements (PPPK) indicates changes in social and gender relations within household life. This phenomenon not only represents personal dynamics but also reflects how the media frames women’s roles in professional and domestic contexts. This study aims to analyze the representation of female PPPK teachers in online media coverage and to identify the construction of power and gender perspectives built by journalists. The study employs Sara Mills’ critical discourse analysis approach, focusing on the positions of subjects, objects, and readers in the text. The data were obtained from Indonesian online news reports covering cases of divorce involving female teachers after receiving PPPK status. The analysis was conducted by identifying narrative structures, language choices, and patterns of gender representation in the text. The results show that female teachers tend to be positioned as active subjects with economic legitimacy and decision-making capacity, while men are more frequently represented as passive objects. The coverage also emphasizes psychological conflicts, double-role pressures, and marital dissatisfaction as the main factors behind divorce. This study concludes that online media play a role in shaping discourse on changes in gender power relations. These findings imply the importance of strengthening gender-sensitive perspectives in journalistic practices.