"It's about the fear of judgment": Transnational Indonesian women and the surveillance of sexuality

They hid their romantic lives, kept separate wardrobes for home and away, methodically and carefully managed their social media, and otherwise disguised many aspects of their personal and social lives overseas. [...] Paper number: MMP 2019-01 Published: March 2019 Keywords: mobility; sexuality; Indonesian women; transnationalism; surveillance TRANSNATIONAL INDONESIAN WOMEN AND THE SURVEILLANCE OF SEXUALITY What is the Problem? Conservative expectations in Indonesia about women’s roles in the household and society, as well as their virginity and sexualities, continue to threaten women’s well-being and liberties. [...] Women employ a number of strategies to manage and cope with surveillance and stigma: “I have different clothes for Australia and Indonesia.” Respondents constantly and carefully managed each of their choices and how discreet they were in order to control their visibility to their parents, “You can just be. [...] While many women felt “more free” in Melbourne to make decisions about their bodies, their romantic lives, their social circles, their future aspira- tions and more, they also recognized that their strate- gies illustrated the ways that the expectations of oth- “Seeing that most of the females who are trailblazers get ostra- ers continued to dictate their lives. [...] I prefer to go about it very quietly, making small families and friends, and wanted, more so, to be free to changes that matter, that might be invisible to others but then make their own choices, lives their own lives, and share someday will culminate in something—will accumulate.” their experiences with their loved ones without fear of - Maya, 24 violence and isolation.