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Women in business, advance growth for the nation
“I never thought I would be a businesswoman like today. Farming used to be my whole life and the only source of income that we knew.”
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Businesses have so much to gain by being run by women. (Shutterstock/File)
M
arjiati br Sembiring Meliala has risen from disaster survivor, to business woman. During the eruption of Mount Sinabung in 2010, she lost her orange field and fertilizer business.
Today, thanks to business skills, tools and opportunities Marjiati has a thriving enterprise, cooking from her home and providing wholesome food for the community.
“I never thought I would be a businesswoman like today. Farming used to be my whole life and the only source of income that we knew.”
Globally, and in Indonesia, the world of work is changing and providing many more opportunities for women and men — from traditional agricultural work to new possibilities in small and large business, technology, politics, education and the arts.
Young women have more opportunities, are more educated and digitally connected than ever before. Generally, significant advances have been made in closing the education and health gaps between women and men.
Why, then, are there still enormous disparities between women and men? In Indonesia, women’s participation in the labor market is significantly lower, at 50.77 percent compared to 81.97 percent for men.
There are far more women at work in the informal economy — this means there are more women without access to their rights, like protection or minimum pay. Women on average are earning incomes 22 percent less than men. One in four girls is married before they turn 18, limiting their future opportunities.
