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Kartini the futurist: A role model for Indonesian men (and women)
It is often said that change starts at home, and as the government aims to realize a female labor participation rate of 65 percent as part of its 2045 vision, society as a whole needs to embrace the role of men in achieving gender equality, both in the workplace and in Indonesian homes.
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Dreaming big: Students of SDN Bromantakan 56 state elementary school write about their aspirations for the future on April 19, 2024 at Ngarsopuro Market in Surakarta, Central Java, during a public activity to mark Kartini Day, which falls on April 21. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
K
artini has been called many positive things: feminist, heroine, writer, trailblazer. But she has many detractors, too, people who saw her as only desiring change but lacking the courage to step out of her comfort zone.
Despite her decisions, she never lacked the zeal to promote the idea that there’s a better, more equal future for the people. This point was as relevant in her time as it is in ours, particularly in the context of the country’s ambitious socioeconomic targets as set out in the Indonesia Gold 2045 vision.
That’s how I see her: Kartini as a futurist and a role model for all Indonesians, especially men. This may sound ironic, coming from an Indonesian man with a privileged background who is part of the growing upper middle class, educated abroad and has decent income. But here’s why.
First, Kartini advocated equality. The patriarchal society that trapped her may be less confining today, but still exists in a modern version.
Research by Equimundo (2022) shows that many men support equality in the abstract, but defend their privilege and the status quo in practice. In fact, the study suggests we might even be farther from achieving gender equality than we should be.
This is a big problem, because men are a crucial ally in promoting gender equality in the workplace. Research shows that 96 percent of organizations report progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) when men are actively involved, compared to only 30 percent when men are not engaged (Catalyst, 2022). And a diverse and inclusive environment links directly to the positive performance of the whole organization, including commercially.
Simply put, without men, we will not achieve gender equality in Indonesia. And we have a lot of work ahead of us.
