“If you look at the population of women and men, there is a 50/50 [ratio], but when you look at the labor force, especially in the formal sector, the proportion of women drops,” she said during the General Electric (GE) Women’s Network forum held recently in Jakarta.

(Read also: Sri Mulyani Indrawati: The soft side of the ‘iron lady’)

The situation, she said, was caused by the public perception that a woman’s main job is to take care of the family so that many of them decide to quit their careers, especially if their companies’ policies do not accommodate female workers.

“Of course, you can have it all, but you have to involve other parties, like your spouse and children,” she said, answering a question from the audience.

“It depends on whether you’re ready to pay such attention so you can manage them all.”

Sri Mulyani, who served as World Bank managing director prior to her return to Cabinet, shared her experiences juggling her work and family life. Her family members, she said, got used to seeing her bring her work home so she could finish it and still have the chance to interact with her family.

She would also bring her children to work so that they had an idea of what their mother did during the day. (hwa)

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