Studi ini tentang respon para perempuan pedagang dalam dinamika pasar tradisional di kawasan perkotaan Ujung Berung, Bandung, dan sebab akibat respon tersebut terkait dengan usaha mereka dan dengan pasar sebagai tempat usaha mereka. Pendekatan berorientasi aktor yang dipakai dalam studi ini, melihat perempuan pedagang yang hidup dan harus menghidupi dua dunia, yakni rumah tangganya dan pasar. Penelitian ini menggabungkan metode kualitatif untuk mengkaji respon-respon perempuan pedagang tersebut, dan metode kuantitatif untk mendapatkan profil demografis pedagang pasar sebagai landasan pemilihan informan.
Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa tipe-tipe perubahan di Pasar Ujung Berung ditanggapi dengan cara berbeda-beda oleh perempuan pedagang. Urbanisasi Ujung Berung yang terus menerus meningkatkan jumlah dan keragaman populasi, dan mengubah pasar Ujung Berung dari pasar lokal menjadi pasar transisi, ditanggapi sebagai hal yang relatif menguntungkan karena meningkatkan 'pasar'. Namun kebijakan relokasi pasar dan pertumbuhan retail modern di sekitar pasar dilihat sebagai ancaman serius bagi eksistensi pasar maupun usaha para perempuan pedagang, dan memunculkan respon politik maupun adaptasi ekonomi seperti diversifikasi komoditi, perpanjangan waktu berjualan, dan memanfaatkan sistem konsinyasi atau komisi dalam pengadaan komoditi. Dampak krisis moneter berupa kenaikan harga direspon dengan mengurangi volume komoditi dan memperbanyak konsinyasi; sedangkan dampak lain berupa persaingan dengan mantan buruh industri yang menjadi pedagang, direspon dengan mengurangi aspek personal dalam berjualan, dan meniru modus pesaing dengan berjualan menghampiri konsumen di pasar luar. Kebakaran yang merusak usaha diatasi dengan pendayagunaan berbagai sumber modal, dan mendorong perempuan terlibat dalam tindakan kolektif untuk membangun kembali usaha dan mengantisipasi bahaya serupa di masa mendatang.
Dari kasus empat tipe perempuan pedagang terlihat adanya otonomi perempuan pedagang atas ruang usaha, termasuk pada perempuan yang bermitra dagang bersama suami. Nilai 'mencari keuntungan' di pasar menguatkan otonomi perempuan pedagang dalam pengambilan keputusan bisnis, baik untuk kelanjutan atau pengembangan usaha dagangnya maupun memenuhi kebutuhan rumah tangga. Otonomi mereka di pasar merupakan landasan bagi adaptabilitas perempuan pedagang dalam mempertahankan usahanya masing-masing maupun mempertahankan pasar.Pasar tradisional akan selalu penting bagi mereka, karena selain merupakan ruang penghidupan yang memberikan otonomi, juga merupakan tempat kerja yang luwes untuk memadukan tugas produksi dan reproduksi sosial.
This study is emphasized on the responses of woman traders in an urban traditional market in Ujung Berung Bandung, and the effect of such responses to their enterprises and to the traditional market. The study uses actor oriented approach which sees women in their two worlds, namely the marketplace and the household. The method of this study combines qualitative approach to explore processes and actors meanings to changes which have been occurring, and a survey to obtain demographic profile of market traders and determine the categorization of women traders to be selected as informants in the case study. The result of study shows that various changes in Ujung Berung have been differently responded by woman traders. The urbanization process which has been occurring in Ujung Berung since a long time ago has seeing enough time woman traders to able to slowly adapt to the increase of customers and various commodities are more or less normally face. It starts with increasing intervention of the city government planning to relocate the marketplace and growth of the modern retails occurred in surrounding the Ujung Berung market has been seen as strength forwomen traders. The monetary crisis which has affected in increasing various good prices has been responded by decreasing commodity volumes and increasing consignment. Another impact of monetary crisis namely former laborers who have become competitor for market traders has been responded by decreasing personal approach in buying and selling, and imitating the operation of the competitor by trading in the outer marketplace. The repeatedly fire in market has been responded to by woman traders by making efficient use of various capital to rebuild their business, and organizing in preventing or minimizing impacts of the fires. The market has also been known as women's domain. The four cases of women traders shown that those women have an autonomy domain. Although a women traders run her business with her husband but in principally she got more power to do what is the best for herself. The ability of women to take a decision and to flourished strategies in her domain means that women traders got an autonomy. Therefore women's trader can carry on with hers business and make more money to fulfill her business. Especially if a husband, could not make enough money for his family, then women trader will cover the whole expenditure of the household. Women traders adaptibility can survive in their trading in market. In addition, this influence on Ujung Berung market, the market will be survive. Based on their autonomy, the woman traders have tried to undertaking various activities continuously to make money to fulfill their household necessities.If the time of trading affair coincides with that of the household affair, various social reproductions which are usually continuously done in the household scope is moved or handled in the market.
