Media Construction Of The Streothy Of Expensive Panai Money And Its Implications On Gender Power Relations In Bugis Tribal Traditions

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the media's construction of the stereotype of expensive bridewealth and its implications for gender power relations in Bugis tradition. The tradition of bridewealth was originally interpreted as a form of respect for women and their families, as well as a sign of the man's commitment to building a household. However, in news reporting and public discourse, this tradition is often reduced to a symbol of the high cost attached to Bugis women.

This study uses a descriptive qualitative method with a critical discourse analysis approach to media texts discussing dowry. The results show that the media tends to emphasize the nominal value, luxury, and economic burden, thus reinforcing the stereotype that dowry is synonymous with expensive dowry. This construction is not neutral, as it also reproduces gender power relations within a patriarchal social structure. Women are positioned as symbols of family honor as well as objects of social and economic evaluation, while men are burdened with standards of masculinity measured by their ability to meet the dowry's needs. Thus, the stereotype of expensive dowry is the result of the interaction between tradition, media representation, and gender power relations.