Restrictions on Women's Access to the Kretek Manufacturing Room in the “Cretek Girl” Series: Fairclough's Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the representation of women's restricted access to the sauce-making space in the series Gadis Kretek (2023). The masculine kretek industry of the 1960s serves as the backdrop for the marginalization of the female character, Dasiyah, through various patriarchal myths and rules. Using a qualitative approach with Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model, this study dissects discourse at three levels: micro (text), meso (discursive practices), and macro (sociocultural practices). The results show that restricting physical access to the sauce-making space is an instrument of power to maintain the exclusivity of technical knowledge in the hands of men. This representation is reinforced by the use of the language "ora elok" (ora elok) and the myth of a woman's touch, which is considered to spoil the taste of the sauce. Despite efforts of agency and resistance from the female character, the strong patriarchal structure remains a significant limitation. This research contributes to the study of gender communication, examining how media reproduces and critiques power imbalances in traditional industries.