Aqwal: Journal of Quran and Hadies Studies
Vol 6 No 1 (2025)

Al-Madrasat al-Ūlā in the Modern Workplace: Phenomenological Insights into Work–Family Conflict, Islamic Coping, and Role Negotiation among Urban Muslim Mothers

Ratna Wulandari (Unknown)
Elan Sumarna (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
10 Jun 2025

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Recent global labour-market shifts have lifted women’s labour-force participation to 54.42 % in Indonesia, compelling Muslim mothers to juggle dual identities as household educators (al-Madrasat al-Ūlā) and paid professionals. This study investigates how urban Javanese Muslim mothers interpret and reconcile these roles, integrating Islamic pedagogy with work–family research. Methods: A phenomenological approach combined 30 semi-structured interviews in three cities with a systematic review of 65 peer-reviewed studies (2010-2024). Inductive thematic coding of transcripts was triangulated with the literature. Main Findings: Role conflict stems mainly from rigid schedules, scarce workplace childcare and entrenched patriarchal norms. Mothers mitigate stress through extended-family help—especially grandmothers—religious coping rituals (dhikr, ṣalāh, majlis ta‘līm) and care-focused micro time-management that privileges “quality spiritual parenting” over duration. The al-Madrasat al-Ūlā ideal persists but is re-imagined as collective moral stewardship shared across family networks. Contribution: The study proposes an “Islamic Coping Matrix” linking context-specific stressors, resources and adaptive behaviours, demonstrating how religious capital compensates for limited institutional support and enriching cross-cultural work–family theory. Conclusion: Harmonising professional and maternal duties is feasible when organisations provide flexible policies and when community institutions—mosques and neighbourhood childcare schemes—augment state provision. Faith-based, culturally attuned interventions can thus sustain Muslim mothers’ dual contributions to household resilience and national productivity.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

AQWAL

Publisher

Subject

Religion Humanities Social Sciences

Description

Aqwal: Journal of Quranic and Hadith Studies is a peer-reviewed (double-blind), open-access journal published biannualiy (Juni and Desember) by Ilmu Al-Qur’an-Tafsir (IAT) and Hadith (ILHA)Program, Faculty Ushuluddin, Adab and Da’wah, K.H Abdurrahman Wahid State Islamic University ...