Development of Minangkabau Women’s Roles as an Effort to Reduce Risk in Disaster-prone Cities in Indonesia A Case Study of Western District of Padang, Padang City, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Sumatra is a disaster-prone area, and Padang is located in the ring of fire. Potentials for disaster and vulnerability in urban areas is high, so to reduce the risk of disasters, knowledge and understanding for the whole community, especially through women’s roles, are required. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of women in disaster mitigation in disaster-prone cities and to identify factors that affect development of women's roles. This paper applies a qualitative approach of observation and in-depth interviews conducted with people, especially women, in West Padang. The result illustrates that the improvement of understanding and knowledge of disaster mitigation and efforts to reduce disaster risk affect public perception. The expanding women’s roles in the Minangkabau tribe are significant in developing an understanding of the families because women are considered the first and primary teachers in the family. Therefore, by increasing women’s role in implementing mitigation plans in disaster-prone cities, the family's ability to mitigate disaster becomes a strategy within the life of the sustainability community.