The Development of Academic Identity in the Patriarchal Society through Doctoral Student Communities

Abstrak

The development of academic identity among doctoral students has become increasingly important, as it influences their future roles as scholars. Although this transition has been widely studied, the experiences of doctoral students in patriarchal Indonesian societies remain underexplored. This study examined the experiences of twelve male and female doctoral students at six Indonesian universities, focusing on the challenges and barriers they faced while developing their scholarly identities. Using narrative inquiry, the research captured the perspectives of students from Sumatra and Java. The findings indicate that students formed communities to support their academic identity, gaining both academic and psychological benefits through peer interaction. However, these communities were often unsupportive unless lecturers provided guidance, involved students in research, or encouraged participation in conferences and external groups. While all students recognized the importance of academic communities, many could not participate regularly due to full-time employment, childcare, domestic responsibilities (particularly for women), social obligations, and distance from campus. So in conclusion, there is a slight influence of patriarchal culture on the participation of women in academic communities. Postgraduate programs should therefore promote community development to help students build scholarly identities and address psychological and cognitive challenges during their studies.