"Equal and full participation of women and men is the key to the welfare and success of a nation," she observed during a national webinar on "Optimizing Women's Potential in Entrepreneurship with a Gender Perspective,” which was followed from here on Tuesday.
Based on an analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute, Indonesia can increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by US$135 billion per year by 2025 if women's economic participation is increased, Rosalin said.
For this reason, efforts to empower women in the economic field need to be strengthened, she added.
Based on data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in 2019, there were a total of 65.5 million business units in Indonesia. Of the number, 99.99 percent were micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
"More than half of those MSME players were women," she added.
Indonesian MSMEs are recorded to contribute around 61 percent to the total GDP and absorb 97 percent of the workforce in the country. In addition, MSMEs also account for 60 percent of the total investment in the country.
"If we do this (women's economic empowerment) simultaneously and jointly, I think in 2025, we can increase our GDP," Rosalin said.
Women who are economically empowered are believed to become a part of the solution for issues affecting women and children, she added.
"If the economy is advanced, their children can be sent to higher education, they (children) can be provided with better nutrition so that stunting can be suppressed. Compulsory education can be increased up to 12 years, and finally, the quality of human resources can also improve," she explained.
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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