11916 ______________________________________________________________ DOI: https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v4i4.3254 Revitalizing Women as Heads of Families in Aceh (Conflict and Post-Conflict Period) Munawiah 1 , Rashidah Binti Mamat 2 , Nor Azlah Sham Binti Rambely 3 , Ernita Dewi 4 1,4 State Islamic University Ar-Raniry, Indonesia. 2,3 Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia munawiah@ar-raniry,ac.id, shida@uum.edu.my, Azla@uum.edu.my, ernita.dewi@ar-raniry.ac.id I. Introduction The conflict period became the most difficult time for the people of Aceh and women were no exception. This unsafe condition caused many men to move out of Aceh, even abroad. The term woman as the head of the family is very urgently raised and becomes an interesting issue to be discussed. Prolonged conflict conditions make Acehnese women live in poverty and receive unfair treatment as victims of violence from various parties. followed by the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, an estimated 250 people were missing and a large number of houses and other buildings disappeared without leaving a trace. The number of women as heads of families who were affected by the conflict and tsunami, as expressed by Nani Zulminarni (Director of Pekka), responded to the widows of conflict victims in Aceh so that they could access resources, to overcome economic problems and traumas they experienced. Moreover, there are provocative and negative views that place widows in a disadvantageous position both in their work, and in their obligations as heads of families, when they do not have husbands. The mention of women as heads of families has become popular in society as an effort for social change and elevating the status of widows so that they are not viewed negatively in the eyes of the public. The patriarchal culture inherent in the people of Aceh and Indonesia as well as other regions of the world, women are number two, and the breadwinners are men. The fame of women as heads of families is that they can complete their work and obligations as breadwinners, family supervisors, maintain family resilience and make choices in the family. The women referred to as the head of the family include a woman who is abandoned by her partner, a woman whose husband dies, an unmarried woman with family obligations, a woman who is married, but her partner cannot perform her capacity as part of the family, a Abstract The protracted conflict in Aceh made women feel more suffering, both physically and mentally. Women are the backbone of the family because their husbands are kidnapped, killed, wandering in search of a safe place. Women who are abandoned by their husbands are often faced with negative stigma. The term woman as the head of the family is an effort to change the view of widowed women to be positioned in the position of roles and responsibilities as the head of the family. Women can be independent with support from various parties towards independent and prosperous, just and dignified families. Post-conflict women as heads of families have a role in women's economic empowerment such as women's savings and loans, joining cooperatives of non-governmental organizations and contributing to village development and development. Keywords female heads of family; Aceh; conflict; post-conflict