Tending to Tradition?

Adat, Agriculture, and the Unethical Labour Landscape for Indonesian Women in the Dutch East Indies

Abstract

From 1901-1942, the Ethical Policy era in the Dutch East Indies was a period when ‘ethical’ colonial policies, which sought to retain the cultural integrity and welfare of the Indonesian people were introduced by Dutch colonial authorities. These ethical policies included strengthening Indonesia’s agricultural economy to bolster local welfare, as well as integrating traditional Indonesian laws and values (adat) into their labour policies—particularly for female labourers. This paper explores the effects of Dutch Ethical Policy on the labour conditions for Indonesian women by examining the consequences of agricultural expansion, how adat is retained in labour policies, perceptions of Dutch versus Indonesian women, and the female night labour bill of 1925. It posits that the Netherlands used pretenses of promoting Indonesian welfare and retaining traditional customs to justify and cover their complacency in the hazardous labour conditions for Indonesian women as a means to earn more profit from crop yields.