Moreover, encouraging women’s participation in the workforce by building gender equality can help increase the gross domestic product by up to US$135 million by 2025, he highlighted during the "Strengthening Ecosystem for Women Workers: Inclusive Workplace Policy" webinar on Thursday.
Therefore, the Industry Ministry has carried out a number of initiatives to encourage women's empowerment and increase the proportion of women in the workforce.
The ministry has also cooperated in several projects with the private sector and other ministries or institutions to improve women's educational opportunities in various fields, specifically education, engineering, science, technology, and mathematics, the minister said.
Kartasasmita also held a “Women’s Innovation Camp” to improve women's understanding of the Internet of Things (IoT).
The ministry expects women who have advanced education and skills to meet the demand for human resources in the industry.
"We hope that with better and advanced education and skills for women, Indonesia can meet the demand of business and industry," he said.
Empowered women can reduce social and economic gaps, improve financial independence, improve equality, and encourage a more just society, he added.
During the event, the minister also highlighted that the lack of daycare facilities leads to low participation of women in the workplace.
Daycare options are costly, making them unaffordable for middle-class families. As a result, many women stop working as soon as they start families.
Moreover, women are also expected to carry out their roles and responsibilities at home, which makes it difficult for them to prioritize work, he said.
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Translator: Anita Permata D, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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