How individuals engaged in social work in Bali perceive their room for action when working with jandas : A qualitative study on social work with socially vulnerable women in Bali

Abstract: The main purpose of this study is to investigate how individuals engaged in social work with socially vulnerable women in Bali perceive their room for action. Our participants' clients are widows, divorced women, unmarried women, or women with children born out of wedlock. In our thesis, we refer to these women as jandas. In an environment influenced by cultural and patriarchal norms, we explore in this essay how they perceive their professional roles in terms of roomfor action, challenges, motivational drivers, and approaches to promoting empowerment. Our aim is to enrich the understanding of the diverse spectrum within which our participants operate. This inquiry aims to uncover the motivating factors influencing our interview subjects, to discern the hurdles they encounter concerning agency in the context of Bali, and to illuminate their strategies for facilitating empowerment. Employing a qualitative methodology, the research has been conducted through semi-structured interviews involving six seasoned respondents with extensive experience in the field of social work in Bali. Drawing upon prior scholarship concerning Bali's cultural and historical milieu, coupled with theoretical frameworks of socio-legal paradigms and empowerment, we have meticulously analyzed the collected data. The findings from the study reveal that religious and spiritual awakenings significantly underpin the dedication of our participants. Furthermore, it emerges that informal norms rooted in religious customs and patriarchal traditions often wield more influence than formal legal statutes, thereby intricately complicating the landscape of social work. Additionally, the study underscores the prominence of varied approaches to empowerment, which our respondents identify as the most effective means of providing support in the Bali context.