Jakarta (ANTARA) – Joint efforts are needed to achieve gender equality and ensure that no Indonesian woman is left behind in the future, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) Minister Bintang Puspayoga has said.
“Aside from eradicating inequalities, we need to think further and ensure that no Indonesian woman is left behind in the future,” the minister remarked while joining the Indonesian Female Journalists Forum, held online, from here on Saturday.
According to Puspayoga, equality and justice for women and men are important goals to be achieved because they can affect the quality of the nation’s human resources.
Compared to the period prior to independence, Indonesian women are now more empowered: more women are pursuing higher education, getting their dream jobs, and even becoming leaders, the minister noted.
“However, various data and facts show that women still experience discrimination, stigmatization, marginalization, and even violence,” she said.
Women also do not have equal access to participation, control, and development benefits compared to men, she added.
Based on the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures the quality of human life from three important aspects (health, education, and economic), inequality was still observed in 2020 between the HDI of males, which was high, and females, which was at a moderate level, Puspayoga said.
This was also observed in the Gender Development Index (GDI), which only showed a reading of 91.06 in 2020, she added.
Likewise, the Gender Empowerment Index, which measures the active role of women, especially in politics, decision-making, and the economy, and specifically focuses on the role of women in leadership and decision-making, only touched 75.57 in 2020, she pointed out.
The 2016 National Women’s Life Experience Survey also showed that one in three women in the 15-64 age group had experienced physical and or sexual violence by a partner or others in their lifetime, she noted.
The patriarchal culture that is still perpetuated in society is at the root of inequality, the minister said. Women are often placed as subordinates, especially in difficult situations, so they do not get their rights, she added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also worsened gender inequality experienced by women, especially those who have multiple vulnerabilities, such as living in underprivileged families, being the head of the family, having a disability, or being a survivor of violence, Puspayoga said.
“Therefore, attention to women’s empowerment in these difficult times has become even more crucial,” she remarked.
Source: Antara News