<![CDATA[This study aims to examine the shifting meanings of the Tetun belis ema practice and the forms of objectification of women that emerge within it. The study employs a qualitative literature review method, drawing on various scholarly sources related to belis culture, patriarchy, gender relations, and feminism. Data analysis was conducted using content analysis techniques from a socio-cultural feminist perspective. The results of the study indicate that belis is fundamentally a symbol of respect for women, a bond of kinship, and a form of social legitimacy within the traditional Ema Tetun marriage. However, social developments and the influence of patriarchal culture have shifted the meaning of belis into a transactional practice that positions women as objects of economic exchange and symbols of social status. This shift is evident in the determination of the belis value based on a woman’s education, social and economic status, and physical attributes. This practice has the potential to foster subordination, marginalization, and the legitimization of male power over women. Therefore, a reconstruction of the meaning of belis is necessary so that it continues to be understood as a form of respect for women’s dignity, rather than as a legitimization of control over women.]]>
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