Jejak Vol 14 (1) (2021): 42-51 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15294/jejak.v14i1.27613 JEJAK Journal of Economics and Policy http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/jejak A Survey on Women’s Motivation to Reduce Poverty Lola Kurnia Pitaloka1, 2Avi Budi Setiawan, 3Ririn Alfianti 1,2,3Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Semarang Permalink/DOI: https://doi.org/10.15294/jejak.v14i1.27613 Received: December 2020; Accepted: January 2021; Published: March 2021 Abstract Nowadays, women still become an objects of life. Even though women can be competent objects of development. Lack of motivation to women is the main problem why women are not productive in public matters. The purpose of this study was to see whether women's empowerment could increase women's motivation to alleviate poverty. This research is an exploratory research which intends to collect facts in depth. The population in this study were 229 women from poor communities who did not or had not worked in Kudus Regency. The sample obtained from Slovin formula is 145 women with the sampling technique using random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using SEM with the warpPLS analysis tool. This research shows that the motivation of the population of women does indeed have a significant effect on poverty alleviation because motivation makes what women do to be unbiased. Empowerment of women does not have any effect on motivation for poverty alleviation. Key words : Poverty, Empowerment, Women, Motivation, Rural How to Cite: Pitaloka, L., Setiawan, A., & Alfianti, R. (2021). A Survey on Women’s Motivation to Reduce Poverty. JEJAK: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Kebijakan, 14(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.15294/jejak.v14i1.27613 Corresponding author : Lola Kurnia Pitaloka p-ISSN 1979-715X Address: ……………………………………. E-mail: [email protected] e-ISSN 2460-5123 43 Pitaloka, L., Setiawan, A., & Alfianti, R, Survey on Women’s Motivation to Reduce Poverty in Kudus Regency meet the minimum living needs. Meanwhile, INTRODUCTION relative poverty is a condition of poverty which Poverty is one of the serious problems is seen based on a comparison between one in the development process in a country, income level and another (Hoque et al., 2015). including in Indonesia. This problem seems In Indonesia, every year the government that it cannot be resolved seriously. There always strives to reduce poverty. However, the have been many efforts made by the poverty data for March 2020 show that the government to involve the experts to poverty rate has actually increased compared to overcome them. Poverty makes people September 2019. The number of poor people in unable to meet their basic needs such as March 2020 amounted to 26.42 million people clothing, food and shelter. Decent education, (9.78%), an increase of 1.63 million people (an difficulties with access to health, no savings increase of 0.56 points) compared to September or investment are also the effects of poverty. 2019 (BPS, 2020). Seeing the increase that has Worse, poverty makes people willing to occurred, it can be said that the government sacrifice anything for the sake of the safety of program in the previous year has not been life, risking physical energy to produce successful. benefits for others and receiving wages that Poverty is a very complex problem, so are not commensurate with the cost of labor how to reduce poverty also requires a precise expended. analysis. The involvement of all components is Poverty is a condition where a person also important for this problem. A sustainable is unable to fulfill his basic rights in solution is needed even more than a temporary maintaining his own life. The basic rights of solution. But it turns out that in the field, the community include; the fulfillment of the programs made are more of a temporary nature needs for food, health, education, and do not involve all components of society. In employment, housing, clean water, defense, Southeast Asia, the poverty rate has always natural resources and the environment; increased every year from 2003 to 2006 and has feeling safe from treatment and threats of contributed to the large number of poor women violence; and the right to participate in who are helpless and have even become a socio-political life, for both women and burden to the country's development men(Alvarez et al., 2015). (Sunderlin, 2006). There are three main things to identify The main problem in efforts to alleviate the causes of poverty from an economic poverty today is related to the fact that point of view, namely; micro, poverty arises economic growth is not well-distributed because of the unequal patterns of resource throughout Indonesia. Poverty is also a cause ownership resulting in uneven income; and effect relationship that can cause a cycle of poverty arises from differences in the quality poverty to occur in all countries, including of human resources and; poverty arises from Indonesia. Several solutions formulated by differences in access to capital (Gau et al., previous researchers are summarized in this 2014). study, namely; exploring the potential of natural There are two forms of socioeconomic wealth; increase work productivity; provide poverty, namely absolute poverty and business capital loans (Moyo & Francis, 2010; relative poverty. Absolute poverty describes Rita Ifeoma et al., 2018). the condition of poor people having an This study takes the second solution from income level below the poverty line or the the three solutions that have been formulated. amount of their income is not sufficient to The second point states work productivity, JEJAK Journal of Economics and Policy Vol 14 (1) (2021): 42-51 44 where one's work productivity can be reductions in the workforce have occurred, obtained through motivation. Motivation causing new unemployment while the need to itself can be defined as an urge to do live will continue. something, either from within or from The inactivity rate of women in the outside (Okoli & Igwegbe, 2015). National workforce was 38.49% in 2019 which turned out development in Indonesia is hampered by to be an increase of 0.4 points from the previous the high number of unemployed people, year. Many women in the labor force purposely most of whom are women. Women are still do not work after marriage and do not carry out household objects in Indonesia and the economic activities at all. Her productivity object of national development is still stopped because of people's perceptions forcing focused on men. In fact, women also have her to stay at home. Many also, because do not the potential to become objects of have an education qualify to enter the work development when given the same industry. It is recorded that there are 1,675 job opportunity. Many women of productive age vacancies for women that have not been in Indonesia only become housewives when fulfilled. This high figure shows that many they are married. Lacking sufficient skills and women in Kudus Regency are still not qualified knowledge, even a woman cannot work from in the labor market or cannot work because home (Maryam & Indriani, 2016). they are married. Kudus Regency is one of the districts Empowerment of women is a method which has a small area of all regions in taken in various countries that have the same Central Java. Kudus is known as a city of problem. Like research (Isiaka et al., 2013), entrepreneurs because most of its residents Nigeria is also a country with low female are MSME players. The unemployment rate productivity. Increasing women's productivity in Kudus tends to be low at 7.65%. However, by providing adequate skills and knowledge is the level of population inactivity tends to be in fact effective in reducing the cycle of poverty high, namely 55.76% of the entire workforce. in Nigeria. The same statement came from The number of inactive populations is (Coady, 2003), efforts to reduce poverty through contributed by the female gender. empowering women have proven to have Unfortunately, Kudus still adheres to the positive results because the unemployment rate concept of gender discrimination. Where has also begun to decrease. From women's there are still many families who think empowerment which is only done to a few women only deserve to be at home to serve people, it can develop like a snowball because their husbands and take care their children. women who have been empowered eventually In 2020, the poverty rate in Kudus will help empower and motivate other women to experience a significant increase. The poverty rise up. This system is very effective in reducing rate in Kudus has always decreased from 2016 the cycle of poverty in Mexico. This study aims to 2019. This is due to the large number of to see the effect of motivation on poverty new industries or MSMEs that have been alleviation and whether women's empowerment established in Kudus. However, the poverty can increase motivation for poverty alleviation rate again rose to 64.24 thousand people. in Indonesia. However, the previous research This figure is even higher than in 2016 which less discuss about behavioural and culture was only 64.19 thousand people. One of the approach for arise the motivation and reasons is the result of the Covid-19 outbreak empowerment. This study add that approach which has hit the entire country. Many 45 Pitaloka, L., Setiawan, A., & Alfianti, R, Survey on Women’s Motivation to Reduce Poverty in Kudus Regency for explaining the poverty alleviation sex ratio in the district is still high. 56% of the throughout women empowerment. population in Kudus Regency are women. Empowering women can only be done Women in Kudus Regency still become objects if these women have the motivation to in the household, so that after marriage, many change their lives.