Wonderful Indonesia - Not So Wonderful for Women
Ancient traditions hinder Indonesian women from flourishing… can they rise above it?
By Sofia Djojonegoro
A hundred years ago, Indonesian women couldn’t go to school. Fifty years ago, Indonesian women didn’t have rights to their own bodies. Twenty-five years ago, Indonesian women were unable to land well-paying jobs.
For years and years, women have been marginalized, disrespected, and treated unfairly - simply because they are women. But how about today?
Unfortunately, for some of the women in Indonesia, this is still the case. Today, women continue to struggle to receive an education, suffer from sexual assault, and experience a power imbalance in their workplaces. This endless cycle has, for generations and generations, affected the lives of women living in Indonesia.
But why? Why do these issues and conflicts continue to resurface, cementing its status as a constant hallmark of our society?
The issue stems from the fact that by now, it’s part of our culture. For many people, this sexism and gender prejudice is a belief system, a natural order, a part of life. Take Pak Wirta, for example.
A warung owner, Pak Wirta has lived in Indonesia his whole life. When asked about women in education, his tanned face turns into a scowl, “Why should girls have to go to school? It’s as God has said himself: women belong in the kitchen.
The ‘God’ Pak Wirta is referring to is Allah, the god of the Islamic religion. Of course, God has never said those words himself, and this distortion of religion is something that happens frequently when discussing this topic. The Muslim religion actually supports equality among men and women. Prophet Muhammad has repeatedly declared his love for his mother, encouraging other Muslims to respect their mother above all.
But, regardless of whether or not these beliefs are supported by factual evidence, it is severely impacting the education of young girls.
“In many regions, the perception is that girls don’t need to have an education. After they turn 15 years old, it’s often thought that they should marry,” said Wardiman Djojonegoro, the minister of education from 1993 to 1998. “As a result, in college, there are definitely fewer women.”
Supriyati, a maid who lives in Jakarta but is originally from a rural village, has experienced this prejudice up close, “My brother has two children: a boy and a girl. But he could only afford to send one of them to school. He chose to send the boy and told the girl to do housework because he believed that was what was best for the family.”
This isn’t a rare occurrence in Indonesia. According to UNESCO, in 2017, there were 1,371,539 girls out of school. By comparison, there were 689,821 boys out of school.
The obvious lack of women in school spirals into a much bigger problem: there aren’t enough women in the workplace.
According to a study done by McKinsey, there is a significant gap between men and women in Indonesian workplaces. In 2016, only 13% of senior management professionals are women. However, as we step up the ladder, the percentage decreases: only 5% of board members are women. Additionally, for every 10 male leaders, there are only 3 female counterparts.
The large power imbalance is a destructive cycle: with fewer women in power, there are fewer women that are brave enough to join fields that are male-dominated. Eventually, this constant imbalance of power gives men a false sense of superiority, and this leads some men to assault women.
“In Indonesia, 1 in 3 women aged 15-64 have experienced sexual or physical violence”
These heinous acts continue to happen, often unpunished due to the immense power men have in society. For Baiq Nuril Maknun, a former high school teacher, this was the case. When the principal allegedly harassed her, she recorded one of his lewd phone calls as evidence, only to be arrested herself. She was fired, put on trial and sentenced to jail for “distributing obscene material” but the harasser himself has yet to suffer any consequences.
Tears of Sadness: Baiq Nuril is a victim of sexual harassment, and is unable to get justice. Photo via Kompas
There are, however, some people that are working toward a more balanced future.
Nadine Siregar, an ambitious millennial, is one of the brave female fighters working to build a better tomorrow. She founded Generation Girl, a “non-profit organization aimed at introducing young girls to STEM.” She aims to “shape future female leaders & empower these girls to make their mark in male-dominated fields.”
“I started Generation Girl because I didn’t feel like there were enough role models for me to look up to, and I didn’t want future female leaders to have that issue,” the 23-year-old said.
Generation Girl: Nadine Siregar (bottom row, right) encourages young girls to pursue careers in STEM through fun holiday clubs. Photo via Generation Girl
She asks the citizens of Indonesia to help this cause, “We need to have more women role models to step up and share their stories. Companies and governments can start adding more programs and benefits that help open more doors of opportunity for women as well. We also need more male champions to help our cause.”
Gender inequality is a serious issue that is plaguing the Indonesian nation. Whether it be education, careers, or personal safety, there are always hurdles that Indonesian women have to jump through. However, despite the long history of discrimination against women, women continue to rise up. In Indonesia’s government, there has been a female president and a constant number of female government representatives. There is some change happening, but there needs to be more. Ultimately, it’s up to us women to try and say, in the words of Rosie the Riveter, “We can do it!”
