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Indosat Ooredoo launches SheHacks 2021 to support gender equality through technology

Gender equality in Indonesia has come a long way in the last decade, with women increasingly having larger roles in the economy, education, the government, as well as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, June 10, 2021

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Indosat Ooredoo launches SheHacks 2021 to support gender equality through technology (Courtesy of Indosat)

G

ender equality in Indonesia has come a long way in the last decade, with women increasingly having larger roles in the economy, education, the government, as well as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). At the same time, however, Indonesian women still face challenges in a number of fields, particularly regarding economic, educational and health issues.

To this day, Indonesian women face larger hurdles on economic issues than men do. A recent study by the World Economic Forum found that only 56 percent of Indonesian women were part of the workforce, compared to 84.1 percent of Indonesian men. The study also highlighted a wage gap between men and women of up to 22 percent.

Not only that, the 2021 Global Gender Gap Report ranked Indonesia 99th out of 156 countries in terms of economic participation and opportunity, significantly lower than its 2020 rank of 68 out of 153 countries.

Gender equality is indeed a serious subject in the pursuit of sustainable social, political and economic growth, as nearly 50 percent of the Indonesian population is made up of women. It is also a part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: point number five on achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.

To answer the challenge, leading digital telecommunication company Indosat Ooredoo has launched the SheHacks 2021 program as part of its corporate social responsibility program on female empowerment.

Through SheHacks 2021, Indosat Ooredoo observed an opportunity to reduce gender inequality by utilizing technology. The SheHacks program started in 2020 to empower Indonesian women through innovations, allowing them to hack their own problems into creative breakthroughs that are able to solve women’s issues.

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. (Courtesy of Indosat/.)

Indosat Ooredoo President Director and CEO Ahmad Al-Neama said women’s empowerment had always been part of the company’s three main pillars in serving the country.

“We understand that gender inequality in Indonesia must be acted upon immediately and cannot continue. We believe that good technology should be inclusive technology. Therefore, the role of technology in empowering and increasing the innovation of Indonesian women is critical. This is why we launched SheHacks, which is to encourage Indonesian women to take matters into their own hands and make an impact,” he said.

H.E. Fawziya E. Al-Sulaiti, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia, underlined the strong relations between Qatar and Indonesia, which have led to wonderful possibilities and opportunities such as Indosat Ooredoo’s SheHacks, allowing technology to reach the needs of the people.

"SheHacks is an innovative program that can help women sharpen their skills and enlarge their capacity. I hope that this program can empower more Indonesia women in the future as women need to educate themselves in new concepts and technology,” she said.

Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini expressed her hope that SheHacks 2021 will encourage new tech innovations to support women, from personal growth to reducing obstacles.

"Indosat Ooredoo's efforts to help lighten their load through SheHacks 2021 might inspire the youth to support women throughout Indonesia, or even the world," she said.

The 2021 edition of SheHacks highlights three main topics: women’s economy, education and health. The program aims to increase women’s contribution to the family economy through entrepreneurship as well as increasing women’s access to education and health services.

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More than 1,000 Indonesian women are expected to join SheHacks 2021, which will involve various women’s empowerment communities across the country. All Indonesian women below the age of 40 are eligible for the program, with the option of entering in a team of up to three members.

The registration and proposal submission phase of SheHacks 2021 lasts from June 9 to July 9, with selected finalists eligible for an in-depth mentoring session. The winners will be announced in August, after which they will enter a four-month buddy program to help them connect with the right stakeholders to actualize their solutions.

“Through this sustainable program, Indosat Ooredoo will continue to assist SheHacks graduates in turning their innovations into real solutions, in collaboration with the government and global organizations such as UNDP, UN Women and GSMA Connected Women. We hope that SheHacks will be the starting point to reduce the gender gap and continue to create a bigger impact to achieve gender equality in Indonesia,” Ahmad said.

Registration and further information on SheHacks 2021 can be found at: https://www.shehacks.id/.

This article is a collaboration between The Jakarta Post and Indosat Ooredoo.



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