I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Journal of Governance Volume 5, Issue 2, December 2020 (164-178) (P-ISSN 2528-276X) (E-ISSN 2598-6465) http://dx.doi.org/10.31506/jog.v5i2.8159 164 The Role of Women in Empowerment and Improvement of Community Literation through Waste Management in Limbah Pustaka Purbalingga Wahyu Kartiko Utami 1 , Moh. Rizky Godjali 2 12 Government Department, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University 1 wahyu.k.utami@gmail.com 2 godjali.rizky@gmail.com Received: May 18 2020; Revised: October 01 2020; Accepted: October 25 2020 Abstract: This research explained the role of women in empowerment and improvement of community literacy through waste management in Muntang Village, Kemangkon District, Purbalingga Regency. The subject of this research was a women leader in ‘Limbah Pustaka’ community namely Roro Hendarti. This research used a qualitative descriptive research method. Data collection was obtained through observation, interview, and documentation. Data were analyzed using data reduction, display and verification. The main informant in this study was Roro Hendarti as the leader of ‘Limbah Pustaka’ community, and the secondary informant was community members of Limbah Pustaka. The theory was used in this research was Astuti's (1998) women's role theory which divides women's roles into three, namely productive roles, domestic roles, and social roles. Roro Hendarti's productive role is in her role in empowering the community and the Limbah Pustaka community through the waste bank as well as training activities such as dancing, sewing, handicrafts, and so on. Domestic role is related to her role as a wife and housewife for her husband and children. Meanwhile, the social role is related to her role in increasing community literacy, especially for children in Muntang Village. Furthermore, she also helps improve their environment to reduce plastic waste. This research is expected to produce a good model or design in waste management, and later it can become an example or model for other communities in Indonesia. Keywords: role of women, waste management, empowerment, literacy, limbah pustaka Introduction Issues regarding women and their activities, both in institutions and groups or communities always seem interesting to study, especially in Indonesia which women’s participation in economic, political and other fields still quite small than men in general. Based on World Economic Forum’s 2018 Gender Gap Index, Indonesia ranks 84th out of 149 countries due to low economic participation, limited political empowerment, and lack of education for women. (World Economic Forum, 2018). Even though there is development of economy and technology, traditional social perceptions and attitudes about women persist. The idea that men are responsible for the economic security of the household and women must attend to the house and children is still dominant in our society.