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Advancing gender equality through learning in the digital world
A McKinsey research indicates that companies with more gender diversity in leadership positions were 25 percent more likely to make higher profits.
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At your service: According to McKinsey and Company, due to biased gender socialization, more women work in the service sector rather than in the male-dominated fields of engineering and information technology. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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ender equality has been a critical issue throughout recent history, and it continues to be so today. One challenge to women's progress that still persists is the gender gap in the digital world, where the tech industry has traditionally been a male-dominated field that deprives women of access to digital technologies and opportunities.
One of the most significant barriers to gender equality is the lack of access to education and training for women and girls, particularly in developing countries. In many parts of the world, girls are less likely to attend school than boys, and women are less likely to receive vocational training and higher education.
The gender gap in education is significant in low-income countries, where girls' enrollment rates in primary school stand at 78 percent, as against the world’s average of 88 percent, and only 31 percent in secondary school, compared to the global average of 66 percent, according to the World Bank. This lack of access to education and training limits their opportunities for employment and career advancement, thus perpetuating gender inequality.
Skills development opportunities today also define a professional’s journey to success and progress.
While Indonesia is relatively advanced and open to gender equality, it is up to women to seize every opportunity available. However, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in August 2022 reveals that women's participation rate is only 53.41 percent, as against 83.87 percent for men. This gap highlights a larger proportion of women who are not participating in the labor force than men.
Factors contributing to this disparity include cultural and societal norms, limited access to education and training opportunities, and gender-based discrimination in the workplace. Closing this gender gap in labor force participation is crucial for Indonesia’s bid to achieve greater gender equality and promote economic growth. In fact, a McKinsey research indicates that companies with more gender diversity in leadership positions were 25 percent more likely to make higher profits.
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, it is crucial for organizations to address the challenges posed by workforce reductions, quiet quitting and the rapid advancement of technology. Workplace training has become essential to organizational strategy, and the need to provide employees with skills-based learning opportunities has never been more critical. According to a survey by McKinsey, nearly 90 percent of executives either already have skills gaps or expect to face them within the next five years.
