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Tech can boost gender equality: Sri Mulyani
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has pinned high hopes on technological developments to boost womens’ role in the economy
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has pinned high hopes on technological developments to boost womens’ role in the economy.
The finance minister also called for the implementation of gender sensitive policies to foster a more equal work environment.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) luncheon on Wednesday, Sri Mulyani highlighted the positive role technology can play in empowering women in the economy.
“Being women or mothers, [female workers] are by default expected to take care of the family and children when at the same time they want to pursue their [careers],” said Sri Mulyani. “Technology can solve that problem. For example, through e-commerce, which can be run from home.”
The ABAC was founded by the economic leaders of APEC in November 1995 to provide advice on APEC’s Osaka Action Agenda and other business sector priorities. The ABAC’s membership comprises up to three members from the private sector from APEC economies.
Sri Mulyani also highlighted the stark contrast between men’s and women’s participation in the workforce in Indonesia despite having a balanced gender composition, adding that women often had to navigate negative stigma when they wanted to make progress in male-dominated jobs.
Apart from small and medium enterprises and the informal sector, women’s participation in the workforce is largely clustered in areas such as health, education and other services, reflecting barriers for women to breach the male-dominated territory in the labor market, she said.
Statistics Indonesia’s data shows men’s participation in the workforce was recorded at 82.69 percent in August 2018, while for women it was 51.88 percent.
Encouraging greater participation for women was essential, Sri Mulyani argued, citing a 2015 report by McKinsey saying countries would create an additional US$12 trillion a year by 2025 if they implemented best practice measures available in their respective regions.
In a “full potential” scenario, which projects women’s participation in the workforce as identical to men’s, added global gross domestic product would reach $28 trillion by 2025, the report said.
“It’s a significant amount of money. That’s why when we talk about gender equality, it’s not about morality or justice, this is also about the economy,” she said.
Sri Mulyani added policymakers could do more through affirmative action policies to promote gender equality in workplaces.
“For policymakers, we could address these constraints through affirmative action or policy that is sensitive to the needs of women, especially young women [who are] pursuing their careers, such as through maternity leave or obligations for fathers to take paternity leave,” she said, adding that male workers in the Finance Ministry were provided paid paternity leave.
Providing support such as lactation rooms or childcare was also critical, Sri Mulyani said.
She added the role of the male was equally important in fostering a gender equal environment.
“Whether you are a father, grandfather, boyfriend or husband, your role is critical in creating opportunities or a world that is inclusive and equal,” she said.
Speaking in a panel session before Sri Mulyani, founder of organic food producer PT Kampung Kearifan Indonesia — also known as Javara — Helianti Hilman, put forward a similar argument, saying support from her family allowed her to focus on developing her business.
