The ministry's Acting Director General of Vocational Education, Tatang Muttaqin stated that women's participation in the STEM workforce in Indonesia is still lower than that of men.
"BPS (Statistics Indonesia) shows that (women's participation in STEM) from year to year tends to be stagnant," he remarked at the Women's Innovation Demo Day held here on Tuesday.
According to BPS data, women make up only about 30 percent of the workforce in STEM, and even only 22 percent, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) data.
Meanwhile, gender equality has begun to increase in the sectors of education, engineering, and teachers' education.
He noted that most outstanding students in academic and vocational education are women.
For instance, the number of women students in study programs that are usually dominated by men, such as engineering, reaches above 40 percent. In addition, more women now become student ambassadors or representatives.
Hence, Muttaqin encouraged multi-stakeholder cooperation that can further increase women's participation in STEM jobs so that the quality of Indonesian human resources can improve.
"We hope to increase opportunities for women to develop their potential in the STEM sector, as well as overcome various challenges that may hinder their optimal participation to enter and pursue careers in STEM fields," Muttaqin stated.
Earlier, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro said that STEM is not just knowledge but a mindset.
He explained that science is a reasoning process that must be realized if Indonesia is keen to become a developed country.
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Translator: Hana K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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