Gender Analysis of the Postponement of Joint Property Distribution of the Sole Residential Home for the Former Wife and Children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70211/gils.v1i2.545Keywords:
Best Interests Of The Child, Gender Justice, Joint Property, Legal Certainty, Residential HomeAbstract
The postponement of joint property distribution after divorce raises a complex legal issue when the disputed asset is the sole residential home occupied by the former wife and children. This study aims to analyze the legal justification for postponing the distribution of jointly owned residential property from the perspectives of gender justice, substantive justice, legal certainty, and the best interests of the child. This research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. The legal materials consist of statutory regulations, international human rights instruments, judicial decisions, Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 1 of 2022, and relevant scholarly literature, which were analyzed through qualitative-descriptive legal analysis and gender-responsive interpretation. The findings show that although Indonesian positive law generally affirms proportional or equal distribution of joint property after divorce, judicial practice provides interpretative space to postpone the execution of a residential home when immediate distribution may undermine the right to housing, residential stability, and child welfare. From a gender perspective, such postponement functions as a corrective mechanism against structural inequality faced by women after divorce, particularly when former wives carry disproportionate caregiving responsibilities and have limited access to economic resources. The study also finds that the postponement does not eliminate the property rights of the former husband, but temporarily balances legal certainty with substantive protection for vulnerable parties. This study concludes that the postponement of joint property distribution involving the sole residential home should be understood as a gender-responsive and child-sensitive judicial measure. The implication of this study highlights the need for clearer judicial guidelines and more explicit legal norms to ensure consistent, accountable, and substantively fair protection for former wives and children in post-divorce joint property disputes.
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