Reading of Symbols and Feminism in Balinese Stories based on Tajen

This study aims to describe symbols and feminism in Balinese folklore based on Tajen. The object of the study is the story of I Bagus Diarsa and Tuung Kuning. Data were collected by reading both stories carefully and in depth and then recording in detail the symbols and representations of women contained in both stories. Data were analyzed using a semiotic approach, a feminist approach, hermeneutics, and verstehen. The results of the study are that the stories of Bagus Diarsa and Tuung Kuning contain many symbols. From the symbols used in the story, they can be grouped into six groups of symbols, namely the name/designation symbol group, the nature symbol group, the food symbol group, the animal symbol group, the job symbol group, and the travel symbol group. This rich symbol causes the story to contain meaningful values. Women in the story have played a role in the public sector, in addition to the domestic sector. In the story of I Bagus Diarsa, there is an understanding of gender equality, while in the story of Tuung Kuning, patriarchy is still thick and strong; women are only in the domestic sphere. There is women's agency, but it is still weak because it is done secretly, and there has been women's empowerment, but it has not been appreciated. The results of the study are presented descriptively with inductive - deductive techniques.