Several years ago, I went to the local Kelurahan office to apply for some documents that would certify that I was indeed still single and therefore eligible for marriage. Believe me, such documents DO exist. The process was surprisingly quick. The kelurahan guy handed me the papers and told me to have it signed by Bu Camat.
I was taken aback. Since when does the wife of a camat interferes in the administrative affairs of a kecamatan? Admittedly, some wives can have such overwhelming power over their husbands that they control the poor sods’ life to the minutest of details. I’ve heard stories of Bu Camats that are far more bossy than their Pak Camats. However, to my knowledge, they generally stay away from office business. Their role is usually limited to Dharma Wanita, in which they subsequently submit to the whims of the even more fearsome Bu Bupati. So, yes, I was utterly baffled by the fact that my marital status was going to be certified by the wife of the Camat, instead of Pak Camat himself.
It was only after I went to the Kecamatan that I realized that I had been neck-deep in sexism. The Camat of Cilacap Utara was a woman.
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