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JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

Abstract

Politics has long been perceived as a masculine-dominated space, characterized by messages of power and rationality. The presence of female legislators brings empathetic values that enrich the decision-making process, encourage inclusive representation, and challenge the dominance of masculine norms. This dynamic opens up broader communication spaces and also promotes the creation of more gender responsive policies that address community needs. This study examines how female legislators in the Surabaya City Council (DPRD) develop and implement empathetic political communication as part of their political identity. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, this research involved in-depth interviews and participant observation of eight female legislators from Commissions A–D. The results of the study show that empathetic political communication is realized through a dialogical and reflective communication approach, which produces the main characteristics of empathetic communication: emotional involvement, trust building, knowledge sharing, friendship, adaptation, demonstrating competence, and family harmony. These characteristics become strategies for navigating the male dominated political arena through three aspects: substantive readiness, women's representation, and soft power. These communication practices not only provide a strategic advantage for women in the male dominated political arena but also contribute to the reshaping of political leadership discourse in Indonesia. This study offers implications for strengthening gender equality in legislative communication and provides a framework for integrating empathy into political discourse.

Bahasa Abstract

Politics has long been perceived as a masculine-dominated space, characterized by messages of power and rationality. The presence of female legislators brings empathetic values that enrich the decision-making process, encourage inclusive representation, and challenge the dominance of masculine norms. This dynamic opens up broader communication spaces and also promotes the creation of more gender responsive policies that address community needs. This study examines how female legislators in the Surabaya City Council (DPRD) develop and implement empathetic political communication as part of their political identity. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, this research involved in-depth interviews and participant observation of eight female legislators from Commissions A–D. The results of the study show that empathetic political communication is realized through a dialogical and reflective communication approach, which produces the main characteristics of empathetic communication: emotional involvement, trust building, knowledge sharing, friendship, adaptation, demonstrating competence, and family harmony. These characteristics become strategies for navigating the male dominated political arena through three aspects: substantive readiness, women's representation, and soft power. These communication practices not only provide a strategic advantage for women in the male dominated political arena but also contribute to the reshaping of political leadership discourse in Indonesia. This study offers implications for strengthening gender equality in legislative communication and provides a framework for integrating empathy into political discourse.

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