"Women have amazing potential in economy and entrepreneurship, especially given that women and children constitute two-thirds of Indonesia's population," she remarked.
"This means that empowering women has become very important so that they can achieve their optimal potential," she added.
Serious efforts to empower Indonesian women through economy and entrepreneurship are expected to help address the issue of the wide gender gap in Indonesia.
According to Puspayoga, women still encounter discrimination and unfairness in various national development sectors.
This can be observed from the Human Development Index (HDI), which measures a person's life quality based on three important aspects, namely health, education, and economy, and the Gender Development Index, which compares women's HDI with men's.
The unfairness that women face is also reflected in the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), which measures women's active role, especially in politics, economy, and decision-making.
Indonesia's low ranking on the three indices reflects the wide gender gap that still exists in the country.
This gender gap is the result of social constructs and stereotypes that have emerged due to a deeply embedded patriarchal culture that causes women to take on a double role, the minister explained.
"This became our collective duty to resolve this paradigm starting from the role and participation of women, public figures, and religious figures," she said.
Earlier, during a public discussion here on July 14, 2022, the minister informed that the government has carried out various efforts to support businesswomen through its entrepreneurship strengthening program.
The government has held upskilling and entrepreneurship programs in sectors that many businesswomen are interested in, she said.
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Translator: Anita Permata D, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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