At Odds: Perceived Stigma of Single Professional Malay Women

Jamayah, Saili and Abdul Rahman, Saili (2018) At Odds: Perceived Stigma of Single Professional Malay Women. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8 (14). pp. 79-90. ISSN 2222-6990

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Abstract

Anak dara tua (andartu) or anak dara lanjut usia (andalusia) are terms used in Malay culture to designate a woman’s unmarried status which mean old virgin or old maiden. Our language further functions to enhance stigma in that population as they are being referred to as tak laku (not sellable) or jual mahal (playing hard). The majority of researchers have failed to consider the role culture and religion might play for single women in quality of life, social status and lifestyle that take precedence over the common experience women share. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 professional Malay Muslim women who have not married, this paper highlights some of the societal stigma, problems and pressures single Malay women experience when they are not married. This paper argued that the meanings of singlehood among women are personally constructed through one life’s experiences that are situated within and reinforced by important social contexts, such as one’s culture and religious faith.

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