Modal Sosial Dan Akses Perempuan Terhadap Jabatan Pimpinan Tinggi Pratama Di Pemerintah Kota Kendari

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of social capital in influencing women’s access and opportunities to attain Senior Executive Positions (Jabatan Pimpinan Tinggi Pratama, JPT Pratama) within the Kendari City Government. Using a qualitative approach and case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with six civil servants (four women and two men), as well as through document analysis of local policy and personnel data. The findings indicate that women’s success in achieving senior leadership positions is not solely determined by competence and formal regulations, but also by the strength of social capital—particularly through personal connections (linking capital) with bureaucratic elites and involvement in informal networks (bridging capital). Limited access to power networks constrains most female civil servants in Kendari from obtaining strategic opportunities in high-ranking position selections, even when they possess comparable qualifications and performance. This study concludes that gender inequality in regional bureaucracy is more strongly shaped by asymmetries in social capital rather than by formal discrimination.