Women’s Economic Vulnerability in Unlicensed Gold Mining Areas in Sarolangun Regency: Adaptation and Resilience

Abstract

Women in communities dependent on unlicensed gold mining (Pertambangan Emas Tanpa Izin, PETI) face unstable household income, limited formal employment, and inadequate social protection. However, the relationships among women’s economic vulnerability, adaptive practices, and resilience remain insufficiently examined in Sarolangun Regency. This study analyzed women’s economic vulnerability and explored the strategies used to sustain household livelihoods. A qualitative field study involved 10 purposively selected informants in Teluk Rendah Village, Cerminan Gedang District. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation and analyzed inductively through data reduction, display, and verification. The findings identified irregular income, dependence on informal employment, limited savings, insufficient social protection, and restricted livelihood alternatives as interconnected dimensions of vulnerability. Women adapted by diversifying income sources, prioritizing essential household expenditure, drawing on social networks, and using informal borrowing arrangements. Their resilience was predominantly oriented toward survival and adaptation rather than transformative change. These findings characterize vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience as interconnected livelihood processes and highlight the limitations of strategies centered on immediate household survival. The study provides contextual insights for developing gender-responsive livelihood alternatives, access to productive capital, social protection, and economic empowerment programs for women in mining-dependent communities.