Jurnal Hukum to-ra : Hukum Untuk Mengatur dan Melindungi Masyarakat
Full Lenght Article
TRADITION AND JUSTICE: GENDER EQUALITY IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF INHERITANCE IN INDONESIA
Received 24 July 2026, Published 8 August 2026, Available online 8 August 2026.
Abstract
This article examines how customary tradition shapes inheritance distribution in Indonesia’s plural legal order and assesses its implications for gender equality, with particular attention to patrilineal communities. It uses normative legal research through statutory, conceptual, case, and comparative approaches. Primary legal materials include the 1945 Constitution, the Civil Code, the Compilation of Islamic Law, relevant legislation, and Supreme Court jurisprudence; secondary materials comprise scholarship on customary inheritance, legal pluralism, and feminist jurisprudence. The analysis shows that Indonesian inheritance law does not operate through a single uniform regime. Civil, Islamic, and customary rules differ in their legal foundations, categories of heirs, and distributive principles. Patrilineal customs may privilege male descendants, but Supreme Court jurisprudence, including Decision No. 179 K/Sip/1961, recognizes daughters as heirs and limits the exclusionary effect of customary norms. Justice should therefore not be reduced to identical shares. It requires recognition of women as legal heirs, protection against total exclusion, a defensible basis for different shares, and attention to the social context of the customary community. Harmonization is needed through constitutional safeguards and consistent judicial interpretation rather than the elimination of living customary law.
Keywords
Declarations
Publisher's Note
Fakultas Hukum Universitas Kristen Indonesia remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
References
Cahyani, F. A., & Amelda, D. A. (2022). Kedudukan perempuan Hindu dalam sistem pewarisan menurut hukum waris adat Bali. Jurnal Hukum Lex Generalis, 3(6), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.56370/jhlg.v3i6.190
Disemadi, H. S. (2022). Lensa penelitian hukum: Esai deskriptif tentang metodologi penelitian hukum. Journal of Judicial Review, 24(2), 289–304. https://doi.org/10.37253/jjr.v24i2.7280
Edison, Tan, D., & Situmeang, A. (2025). Studi hukum terhadap pendaftaran hak tanggungan pada sertifikat tanah dengan status pemiliknya telah meninggal dunia. Jurnal Legisia, 17(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.58350/legisia.v17i01.588
Fauzia, R. (2022). Sejarah perjuangan perempuan Indonesia mengupayakan kesetaraan dalam teori feminisme. Journal of Comprehensive Science, 1(4), 861–881. https://doi.org/10.59188/jcs.v1i4.115
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Harvard University Press.
Haniru, R. (2014). Hukum waris di Indonesia perspektif hukum Islam dan hukum adat. Al-Hukama: The Indonesian Journal of Islamic Family Law, 4(2), 456–474. https://doi.org/10.15642/al-hukama.2014.4.2.456-474
Hutagalung, J. M., & Gloriawati, T. (2022). Tradisi hukum Indonesia: Sejarah, produk hukum dan kebijakan di masa Orde Baru. Jurnal Hukum Sasana, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.31599/sasana.v8i2.1502
Judiasih, S. D., Kusmayanti, H., & Yuanitasari, D. (2021). Pergeseran norma hukum waris pada masyarakat adat patrilineal. Rechtidee, 16(1), 65–87. https://doi.org/10.21107/ri.v16i1.8676
Kasra, H. (2016). Prospek 19 wilayah hukum adat dilihat dari menguatnya sistem kekerabatan parental bilateral dalam hukum keluarga. Jurnal Doctrinal, 1, 77–86.
Klenten, B., Djaja, B., & Sudirman, M. (2024). Analisis yuridis Putusan Mahkamah Agung Nomor 845 K/Pdt/2024 tentang sengketa pembagian harta warisan: Perspektif hukum waris perdata di Indonesia. Ranah Research: Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, 7(2), 897–904. https://doi.org/10.38035/rrj.v7i2.1341
Kurnia, I., & Santosa, M. Y. (2023). Pluralisme hukum waris di Indonesia: Pengaruh sistem kekerabatan masyarakat adat terhadap corak hukum waris adat di Indonesia. SYARIAH: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, 1(2), 234–242. https://doi.org/10.62017/syariah.v1i2.543
Masrur, M. A., & Rahayu, K. L. (2023). Pengaruh modernisasi terhadap praktik waris adat di era Revolusi Industri 4.0. Kultura: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum, Sosial, dan Humaniora, 1(5), 265–272. https://doi.org/10.572349/kultura.v1i5.557
Muhammad, M., & Ahmad, A. (2024). Mengisi kekosongan hukum: Inovasi dalam pendaftaran tanah berdasarkan hukum waris adat. Wijaya Putra Law Review, 3(2), 130–159. https://doi.org/10.38156/wplr.v3i2.194
Nugroho, B. D., Mayana, R. F., & Riawanti, S. (2021). Sosialisasi hukum waris adat Jawa Barat dalam penegakan hukum keluarga di Kecamatan Darmareja Kabupaten Sumedang. Kumawula: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat, 4(3), 500–507. https://doi.org/10.24198/kumawula.v4i3.34454
Pattiruhu, F. J. (2020). Critical legal feminism pada kedudukan perempuan dalam hak waris pada sistem patriarki. Culture & Society: Journal of Anthropological Research, 2(1), 24–30. https://doi.org/10.24036/csjar.v2i1.57
Pongoliu, H. (2019). Dialektika hukum waris adat dan hukum waris Islam di Kota Gorontalo. Jurnal Al Himayah, 3(2), 145–172.
Rachelninta, N. I., & Sulastri, S. (2025). Implementasi hak waris perempuan dalam masyarakat adat patrilineal. Jurnal USM Law Review, 8(1), 86–104. https://doi.org/10.26623/julr.v8i1.11113
Rahmatillah, N. A. (2024). Pluralitas hukum kewarisan di Indonesia: Sebuah tinjauan normatif. Mitsaqan Ghalizan, 4(2), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.33084/mg.v4i2.9043
Ramadhani, S., Wardhani, N. S., & Putri, L. (2019). Hak-hak perempuan Enggano dalam sistem kekerabatan matrilineal. University of Bengkulu Law Journal, 4(2), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.33369/ubelaj.4.2.107-117
Rismawati, S. D. (2017). Mengukuhkan otensitas tradisi hukum campursari dalam sistem hukum nasional. Jurnal Hukum Islam, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.28918/jhi.v15i1.843
Santika, S., & Eva, Y. (2023). Kewarisan dalam sistem kekerabatan matrilineal, patrilineal dan bilateral. Al-Mashlahah: Jurnal Hukum Islam dan Pranata Sosial Islam, 11(2), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.30868/am.v11i02.4874
Santoso, M. (2024). Tinjauan pustaka atas prinsip keadilan dalam pembagian harta warisan menurut hukum perdata Indonesia. YUDHISTIRA: Jurnal Yurisprudensi, Hukum dan Peradilan, 2(2), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.59966/yudhistira.v2i2.1171
Tan, D. (2021). Metode penelitian hukum: Mengupas dan mengulas metodologi dalam menyelenggarakan penelitian hukum. NUSANTARA: Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial, 8(8), 2463–2478. https://doi.org/10.31604/jips.v8i8.2021.2463-2478
Warsita, I. P. A., Suwitra, I. M., & Sukadana, I. K. (2020). Hak wanita tunggal terhadap warisan dalam hukum adat Bali. Jurnal Analogi Hukum, 2(1), 83–87. https://doi.org/10.22225/ah.2.1.1628.83-87
Yuliyani, A. P. (2023). Peran hukum adat dan perlindungan hukum adat di Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum dan HAM Wara Sains, 2(9), 860–865. https://doi.org/10.58812/jhhws.v2i09.648
Legislation and Cases
Indonesia. (1945). Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia of 1945.
Indonesia. (1960). Law No. 5 of 1960 concerning Basic Agrarian Principles.
Indonesia. (1984). Law No. 7 of 1984 concerning the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Indonesia. (1991). Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 1991 concerning the dissemination of the Compilation of Islamic Law.
Indonesia. (2006). Law No. 3 of 2006 concerning the amendment to Law No. 7 of 1989 on Religious Courts.
Indonesia. (n.d.). Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek).
Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia. (1961, October 23). Decision No. 179 K/Sip/1961.
Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia. (2018). Himpunan yurisprudensi Mahkamah Agung sampai dengan tahun 2018. Biro Hukum dan Humas Badan Urusan Administrasi Mahkamah Agung RI.
Copyright and permissions
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Bibliographic Information
Cite this article as:
-
Submitted
24 July 2026 -
Revised
27 July 2026 -
Accepted
Not available -
Published
8 August 2026