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Women can do amazing things
Changes are taking place in Indonesia’s economy that are opening new opportunities for women across the archipelago.
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Businesses have so much to gain by being run by women. (Shutterstock/File)
I
participated in the inaugural United States-Indonesia Women’s CEO Summit, hosted by the American Indonesian Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, last October. The summit brought together senior executive women to share their personal stories and to discuss ways to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the private sector.
My own experience shows that when it comes to the issue of gender equality, perception and reality are not always the same, but one indisputable truth is that women can accomplish anything if given the opportunity.
At least in Indonesia’s legal sector, I always felt that if you put in the effort, you would advance in your career, regardless of gender.
Women over the years have played a vital role in the country. The historic milestone came in 2001-2004 when a female president led Indonesia, an achievement that eludes many other democracies in the world.
Indonesia today also boasts female ministers and a fair representation of women in the House of Representatives. There continues to be work to be done and advances to be made. In some areas, such as the military and law enforcement, there are still few women in positions of leadership, but progress is being made.
Give Indonesian girls and women opportunity and support, and there is nothing they cannot achieve, as has been shown over and over again throughout our country’s history.
Changes are taking place in Indonesia’s economy that are opening new opportunities for women across the archipelago. One of these changes is the rise of e-commerce, which has given women in Indonesia more opportunity to work from home and earn enough money to help support their families.
