Our aspiration in B20's Women in Business Action Council is that, in the future, more women will lead, participate, and have access to better business and economic opportunities.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Greater involvement of women in business and managerial activities can significantly boost the growth of global gross domestic product (GDP), chair of Business 20's (B20's) Women in Business Action Council (WiBAC) Ira Noviarti said.

"Our aspiration in B20's Women in Business Action Council is that, in the future, more women will lead, participate, and have access to better business and economic opportunities," she noted in a release on Saturday.

B20 is G20's official dialogue forum with the global business community. It provides practical policy recommendations from a business viewpoint to the G20.

The G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries that work together to handle major issues. Indonesia is holding the presidency of the grouping this year.

In 2018, the World Economic Forum (WEF) estimated that equal involvement of women in the global economy could potentially boost global GDP by US$28 trillion, she noted.

To realize this potential, the B20 WiBAC Task Force has proposed several policies and actions for women’s advancement.

One such action is developing an ecosystem that can provide access to financial aid, regulation, and technical aid to business actors.

Another action is bolstering women's digital skills and leadership by expediting their access to the digital environment and improving their skills so that they can take leadership positions, strengthened by gender-based reports.

The last concerns promoting a fair and safe working environment for everyone.

This can begin with improving workplace safety for women workers in the informal economic sector, including villagers, and developing systematic policies to prevent gender-based violence and help victims of violence.

Through each member support, these policy recommendations are expected to produce a generation of skilled, resilient, and empowered women who support national and global economic recovery, Noviarti said.

She also highlighted that currently, the gap in gender participation has worsened as a result of the pandemic.

This gap has continued to be felt by women workers. For instance, women's representation in managerial roles is still lower than men, she noted.

Moreover, there is an income gap between women and men as well as lack of regulation concerning violence against women.

According to B20 WiBAC's data, around 23 percent of women workers have to or will resign from work during the pandemic.

Work undertaken by women also bears higher risk due to 19 percent overrepresentation in sectors directly affected by the pandemic such as schools and daycare centers.

This could worsen the health and prosperity of many families and weaken the economic condition of the world. This necessitates real and prompt action from stakeholders.

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Translator: Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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