The Use of Social Media as a Space for Counter-Hegemony for Female Politicians: Discourse Analysis of Khofifah Indar Parawansa’s Leadership on Instagram

Harlita Nindhasari; Nur’annafi FSM; Harliantara Harliantara

doi:10.18535/ijsrm/v14i01.sh04

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the use of Instagram social media by Khofifah Indar Parawansa as a space for counter-hegemony against the stigma of female leadership in Indonesia. Using a qualitative discourse analysis method, this study dissects digital content from late 2025 to early 2026. The results show that Khofifah employs three main narrative strategies: (1) Technical Narrative through achievements in food self-sufficiency and data digitalization to challenge the stigma of incompetence; (2) Empathy Narrative which repositions maternal traits as collaborative strengths; and (3) Authority Narrative in the masculine environment of Forkopimda to affirm the legitimacy of power. Social media has proven to be an effective tool for female politicians to construct independent identities and resist patriarchal hegemony in the digital public sphere in East Java, Indonesia.

Keywords

counter-hegemonyKhofifah Indar ParawansaInstagramfemale politiciansleadership

References

Brands, C., Kruikemeier, S., & Trilling, D. (2021). Insta(nt)famous? Visual self-presentation and the use of masculine and feminine issues by female politicians on Instagram. Information, Communication & Society, 24(14), 2016–2036. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2021.1962942DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Eriyanto. (2011). Analisis Wacana: Pengantar Analisis Teks Media. Yogyakarta: LKiS.Google Scholar ↗
Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.Google Scholar ↗
Foucault, M. (1972). Archaeology of Knowledge. New York: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar ↗
Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks. (Q. Hoare & G. N. Smith, Eds. & Trans.). New York: International Publishers.Google Scholar ↗
Heryanto, A. (2014). Identity and Pleasure: The Politics of Indonesian Screen Culture. Singapore: NUS Press.Google Scholar ↗
Hopton K., Langer S. (2021). “Kick the XX out of your life”: An analysis of the manosphere’s discursive constructions of gender on Twitter. Feminism & Psychology, 32(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535211033461DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Indar Parawansa, K. [@khofifah. ip]. (2025). Unggahan mengenai pencapaian Indeks Satu Data Indonesia Jawa Timur [Instagram Post]. Diakses dari https://www.instagram.com/khofifah.ip/Google Scholar ↗
Indar Parawansa, K. [@khofifah.ip]. (2026). Dokumentasi patroli bersama jajaran Forkopimda malam pergantian tahun [Instagram Post]. Diakses dari https://www.instagram.com/khofifah.ip/Google Scholar ↗
Jungblut, M., & Haim, M. (2021). Visual Gender Stereotyping in Campaign Communication: Evidence from Female and Male Candidate Imagery in 28 Countries. Communication Research, 50(5), 561–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502211023333DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Jamieson, K. H. (1995). Beyond the Double Bind: Women and Leadership. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar ↗
Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (2001). Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics. London: Verso.Google Scholar ↗
Le Barbanchon, T., & Sauvagnat, J. (2021). Electoral Competition, Voter Bias, and Female Politicians. Journal of the European Economic Association, 20(1), 352–394. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvab028DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Le Fevre, D. M., Meng, C., & Foreman-Brown, G. (2024). Navigating senior leadership in higher education: A case study of women in Cambodia. International Journal of Leadership in Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2023.2301346DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Lindholm, J., Carlson, T., & Högväg, J. (2020). See Me, Like Me! Exploring Viewers’ Visual Attention to and Trait Perceptions of Party Leaders on Instagram. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(1), 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220937239DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Moleong, L. J. (2017). Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.Google Scholar ↗
Mulia, M. (2014). Perempuan dan Politik. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama.Google Scholar ↗
Natarajan, M., Sista, A., Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Anantharaman, A., & Seils, N. (2022). Decolonizing Purity Culture: Gendered Racism and White Idealization in Evangelical Christianity. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 46(3), 316–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843221091116DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Patria, N., & Arief, A. (2003). Antonio Gramsci: Negara dan Hegemoni. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.Google Scholar ↗
Pratama, A. (2022). Digital Branding of Female Politicians on Social Media: A Study of Legislative Candidates. Journal of Political Communication, 15(2), 120-135.Google Scholar ↗
Salamon, H. (2024). The “Women’s Representation-Corruption Link” and Environmentalism: A Cross-National Study. Political Studies, 73(1), 55–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217231224964DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗
Smith, J., and Jones, M. (2024). Technocratization of Gender: Female Leaders and Evidence-Based Policy in Europe. International Journal of Gender and Politics, 22(1), 88-105.Google Scholar ↗
Suryani, D., et al. (2023). Media Framing and Gender Bias in Indonesian Local Elections: The Case of Tri Rismaharini. Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 45-60.Google Scholar ↗
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical Discourse Analysis. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 466-485). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar ↗
Van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-1] Brands, C., Kruikemeier, S., & Trilling, D. (2021). Insta(nt)famous? Visual self-presentation and the use of masculine and feminine issues by female politicians on Instagram. Information, Communication & Society, 24(14), 2016–2036. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118x.2021.1962942DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-2] Eriyanto. (2011). Analisis Wacana: Pengantar Analisis Teks Media. Yogyakarta: LKiS.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-3] Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-4] Foucault, M. (1972). Archaeology of Knowledge. New York: Pantheon Books.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-5] Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from Antonio Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks. (Q. Hoare & G. N. Smith, Eds. & Trans.). New York: International Publishers.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-6] Heryanto, A. (2014). Identity and Pleasure: The Politics of Indonesian Screen Culture. Singapore: NUS Press.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-7] Hopton K., Langer S. (2021). “Kick the XX out of your life”: An analysis of the manosphere’s discursive constructions of gender on Twitter. Feminism & Psychology, 32(1), 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535211033461DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-8] Indar Parawansa, K. [@khofifah. ip]. (2025). Unggahan mengenai pencapaian Indeks Satu Data Indonesia Jawa Timur [Instagram Post]. Diakses dari https://www.instagram.com/khofifah.ip/Google Scholar ↗

[refR-9] Indar Parawansa, K. [@khofifah.ip]. (2026). Dokumentasi patroli bersama jajaran Forkopimda malam pergantian tahun [Instagram Post]. Diakses dari https://www.instagram.com/khofifah.ip/Google Scholar ↗

[refR-10] Jungblut, M., & Haim, M. (2021). Visual Gender Stereotyping in Campaign Communication: Evidence from Female and Male Candidate Imagery in 28 Countries. Communication Research, 50(5), 561–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502211023333DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-11] Jamieson, K. H. (1995). Beyond the Double Bind: Women and Leadership. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-12] Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (2001). Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics. London: Verso.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-13] Le Barbanchon, T., & Sauvagnat, J. (2021). Electoral Competition, Voter Bias, and Female Politicians. Journal of the European Economic Association, 20(1), 352–394. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeea/jvab028DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-14] Le Fevre, D. M., Meng, C., & Foreman-Brown, G. (2024). Navigating senior leadership in higher education: A case study of women in Cambodia. International Journal of Leadership in Education, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2023.2301346DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-15] Lindholm, J., Carlson, T., & Högväg, J. (2020). See Me, Like Me! Exploring Viewers’ Visual Attention to and Trait Perceptions of Party Leaders on Instagram. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 26(1), 167–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220937239DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-16] Moleong, L. J. (2017). Metodologi Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-17] Mulia, M. (2014). Perempuan dan Politik. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-18] Natarajan, M., Sista, A., Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Anantharaman, A., & Seils, N. (2022). Decolonizing Purity Culture: Gendered Racism and White Idealization in Evangelical Christianity. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 46(3), 316–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843221091116DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-19] Patria, N., & Arief, A. (2003). Antonio Gramsci: Negara dan Hegemoni. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-20] Pratama, A. (2022). Digital Branding of Female Politicians on Social Media: A Study of Legislative Candidates. Journal of Political Communication, 15(2), 120-135.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-21] Salamon, H. (2024). The “Women’s Representation-Corruption Link” and Environmentalism: A Cross-National Study. Political Studies, 73(1), 55–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/00323217231224964DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗

[refR-22] Smith, J., and Jones, M. (2024). Technocratization of Gender: Female Leaders and Evidence-Based Policy in Europe. International Journal of Gender and Politics, 22(1), 88-105.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-23] Suryani, D., et al. (2023). Media Framing and Gender Bias in Indonesian Local Elections: The Case of Tri Rismaharini. Indonesian Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 45-60.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-24] Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical Discourse Analysis. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, & D. Schiffrin (Eds.), The Handbook of Discourse Analysis (pp. 466-485). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar ↗

[refR-25] Van Leeuwen, T. (2008). Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar ↗