Judicial Formalism and Women’s Economic Rights After Divorce: A Feminist Legal Study of a Religious Court Decision
Abstract
Religious court adjudication in divorce cases in Indonesia continues to exhibit a strong reliance on judicial formalism, often at the expense of substantive gender justice. One manifestation of this tendency is the rejection of post-divorce economic claims by former wives, particularly in cases involving civil servant salaries. This study examines a Religious Court decision that denied a former wife’s claim to a one-third allocation of her ex-husband’s salary, despite her demonstrated economic vulnerability following divorce. The research aims to critically analyze the judicial reasoning underlying this rejection and to assess the extent to which women’s economic rights are accommodated within religious court practice from a Feminist Legal Theory perspective. Employing a normative juridical method, the study integrates a case-based and conceptual approach through an analysis of court decisions, statutory regulations, and feminist legal scholarship. The findings reveal that the judges’ reasoning is predominantly procedural and formalistic, focusing narrowly on the husband’s economic capacity while disregarding the wife’s non-monetary contributions during marriage, such as domestic and reproductive labor. This approach effectively marginalizes women’s lived experiences and reinforces gendered economic inequality after divorce. The study contributes to Islamic family law scholarship by demonstrating how judicial formalism can undermine the protective function of post-divorce economic rights. By applying Feminist Legal Theory as a critical analytical tool, this research highlights the need for a more substantive, gender-responsive interpretation of family law to ensure equitable outcomes for economically vulnerable women, particularly former wives of civil servants.
Downloads
References
Abdus Shomad, “Otoritas Laki-Laki dan Perempuan: Studi Penafsiran Kontekstual Abdullah Saeed Terhadap QS. An-Nisa 4:34”(2022), Jurnal AlifLam Journal of Islamic Studies and Humanities, 3(1): 1-21, diakses pada 18 Desember 2025. 10.51700/aliflam.v3i1.432
Agung Nursufa Imadudin, Pemenuhan Nafkah Istri dan Anak Pasca Perceraian Melalui Hak Ex Officio Hakim (Studi Putusan No. 6073/Pdt.G/2019/PA.Jr dan 239/Pdt.G/2020/PTA.Sby, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, 2025, http://digilib.uin-suka.ac.id/id/eprint/70519
Ahmad Wildan Rofrofil Akmal, Aunul Hakim, dan Moh Toriquddin, “Disfungsi PP Nomor 45 Tahun 1990 Tentang Pembagian Gaji Pasca Perceraian PNS (Studi Kasus di Pengadilan Agama Bojonegoro), Maqasid Jurnal Studi Hukum Islam, No 1 (2025), diakses pada 17 Desember 2025 https://doi.org/10.30651/mqs.v14i1.25960
Amir Syarifuddin, Hukum Perkawinan Islam di Indonesia, (Jakarta: Kencana Predana Media, 2009), 189.
Anggi Salsha Musdalifa Lingga, Idha Apriliyana Sembiring, Utary Maharany Barus, “Provision of Maintenance for Former Wives of Civil Servants According to Government Regulation No. 45 of 1990,” Jurnal Hukum Indonesia, no. 4: 68, diakses pada 13 Desember 2025, https://doi.org/10.58344/jhi.v4i2.1591.
Ani Soetjipto dan Pande Trimayuni dkk, Gender dan Hubungan Internasional Sebuah Pengantar, Yogyakarta: Jalasutra, 2017.
Badrul Hilmi, “Rekonvensi Pembagian Gaji Pegawai Negeri Sipil dalam Perkara Cerai Talak (Analisis Putusan Perkara No. 4455/Pdt.Cr/2014/PA.Blitar)”, (2020), SAKINA: Journal of Family Studies, (4)2. Diakses pada 18 Desember 2025. https://urj.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/jfs/article/view/480.
Dede Santi Fatimah, Devi Siti Hamzah Marpaung, “Ketentuan Dan Akibat Hukum Perceraian Bagi Tentara Nasional Indonesia, Pegawai Negeri Sipil Dan Warga Sipil”, (2022), JUSTITIA: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum dan Humaniora, No. 1, 417-429. Diakses pada 19 Desember 2025. https://doi.org/10.31604/justitia.v9i1.417-429
Dian Ferricha, Sosiologi Hukum dan Gender: Interaksi Perempuan Dalam Dinamika Norma dan Sosio-Ekonomi, Malang: Bayumedia Publishing, 2010.
Fitriyani, Fitriyani, “Feminist Paradigm in the Study of Islamic Familiy Law In Indonesia”, (2025), Scientia: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian, 10 (1), 15-16, diakses pada 17 Desember 2025, https://doi.org/10.32923/f6m0r893
Hamzah, Oyo Sunaryo Mukhlas, Usep Saepullah, “Hak-Hak Perempuan Pasca Perceraian Dalam Hukum Positif dan Hukum Islam”, (2022), Usroh, No. 1, 62-80. Diakses pada 19 Desember 2025. 10.19109/ujhki.v6i1.12239
https://quran.nu.or.id/al-baqarah#240
https://quran.nu.or.id/at-thalaq/7
Ikhlasiah Dalimoenthe, Sosiologi Gender, Jakarta: Bumi Aksara, 2021.
Joko Susanto, Indah Sri Utari, Ali Masyhar Mursyid, “Implikasi Teori Hukum Feminis terhadap Interpretasi dan Penerapan Hukum dalam Kasus-Kasus Kekerasan Berbasis Gender”, (2024), Book Chapter Hukum dan Politik dalam Berbagai Prespektif Jilid 3. https://doi.org/10.15294/hp.v3i1.215
Lusiana Margareth Tijow, dan Sudarsono, Perempuan Menggugat Atas Integritas Tubuh Dirinya Tidak Terpenuhinya Janji Kawin, Malang: Surya Pena Gemilang, 2017.
Ni Komang Arie Suwastini, “Perkembangan Feminisme Barat Dari Abad Kedelapan Belas Hingga Postfeminisme: Sebuah Tinjauan Teoritis,” Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora 2, no. 1 (2020): 199.
Niken Savitri, HAM Perempuan: Kritik Teori Hukum Feminis Terhadap KUHP, Bandung: PT Refika Aditama, 2008.
Noor Rohmat, Permasalahan Hukum di Indonesia Antara Teori dan Praktik, Yogyakarta: K-Media, 2024.
putusan_154_pdt.g_2025_pa.kab.kdr_20251021130811.
Sahetapy, Jacob Elvinus (2009). Runtuhnya Etik Hukum. Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kompas, 112.
Sobhan, Nuraini Rangkuti, Kholidah, Mustafid, “Analisis Hukum Kewajiban Menafkahi Mantan Istri oleh PNS Dalam PP Nomor 45 Tahun 1990 Ditinjau dari Hukum Islam”, (2022), Al-Manhaj: Jurnal Hukum dan Pranata Sosial Islam, (4):2, 153-164. Diakses pada 18 Desember 2025. https://doi.org/10.37680/almanhaj.v4i2.1599
