The module entitled "Perempuan Maju Digital" (Digitally Advanced Women) was created in collaboration with the Inspiring Indonesian Women-Owned MSMEs (UPRINTIS) and the platform can help empower MSMEs in the current digital age, she said.
"Online sales will be one of the solutions that we have to undertake in this globalization era. We have to be digitally skilled whether we want to or not," she added during the module's unveiling here.
In addition to empowering MSMEs owned and managed by women in the downstream, the collaboration is aimed at resolving the gap between women and men in the digital field, the minister explained.
She highlighted that women's participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is still lacking. This is due to a strong sentiment of male dominance, gender stereotypes when looking for work, and patriarchal culture.
The minister also informed that women are still lagging in the field of information and communication technology. According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the percentage of female Internet users in 2022 was 54.70 percent and male users 60.40 percent.
"When taking about technology access, this also became a task. Women are still lagging behind men. I expect that with this module, (men and) women's gap in the digital field can be resolved," she said.
While women's knowledge of technology is still lower than men, 64.5 percent of MSMEs in Indonesia are owned by women. This means that building digital literacy among women is crucial and can affect the country's economic growth.
"What does this mean? Women are the national economic strength," Darmawati said.
"We expect that the module can be utilized and become a tool to improve women's capacity in developing their businesses," she added.
The module contains data regarding MSMEs as well as strategies for effective digital sales.
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Translator: Pamela Sakina, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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