Memahami Kerentanan, Mendorong Kepemimpinan, dan Mengupayakan Keadilan: Analisis Kebijakan Feminis terhadap Rencana Aksi Adaptasi Iklim Jawa Tengah dan Kabupaten Demak

In Indonesia’s climate policy discourse, gender has become an increasingly prominent keyword, from the National Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation (2014) to the National Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (2024). This paper analyses gender representation in the Climate Adaptation Action Plans of Central Java (2023) and Demak Regency (2024), two coastal areas highly vulnerable to both climate crises and gender inequality. Using a feminist policy analysis framework and drawing on the concept of Gender Transformative Adaptation (GTA), the analysis focuses on three key aspects: representation, knowledge and power, and leadership. The findings reveal that gender justice remains a marginal concern. Women are predominantly framed as vulnerable groups in need of empowerment, rather than as agents of change with equal knowledge and capacities. The policy documents reflect a top-down technocratic approach that overlooks local knowledge and grassroots women’s experiences. Moreover, the absence of women’s organizations as strategic actors signals weak institutional recognition of women’s leadership in climate adaptation. This paper argues for more participatory, intersectional, and transformative approaches to local climate adaptation policymaking to ensure greater justice, inclusivity, and contextual relevance.