Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Women have a key role to play in helping the country out of economic hardship, but more needs to be done to help them enter the formal economy, a minister says.
State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta Swasono said over the weekend women make major contributions to the national economy.
However, this contribution is often overlooked because many women work in the informal sector and reliable economic statistics are not kept for the sector.
"Economic activities in the informal sector are often left unprotected legally, so women are often unfairly treated," Meutia said in a speech to mark the launch of the Small and Medium Enterprises-Women Enterprises (UKM-UP) empowerment movement.
The event took place at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
She said many women encountered problems in accessing financial resources to expand their businesses. "The existence of this working group for the empowerment of UKM-UP will be of great help for its member businesswomen, giving them more power to move the wheel of the economy in the real sector."
Pokja Pemberdayaan UKM-UP, a non-governmental organization based in Yogyakarta and Jakarta, organized the discussion and initiated the declaration of the UKM-UP empowerment movement.
Held in conjunction with the commemoration of National Youth Pledge Day and the 105th anniversary of the birth of Indonesian founding father Moh. Hatta, the declaration was designed to send a strong message to the public over the importance of empowering UKM-UP.
In addition to Meutia, also signing the declaration were Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and the coordinator of Pokja Permberdayaan UKM-UP, Tony Agus Ardie.
"Unless small and medium enterprises and women enterprises are empowered, it will be very difficult for us (to survive economically)," Tony told The Jakarta Post.
He said women have over the years proven themselves able to survive economic downturns, as well as to be responsible borrowers once they are given micro-credits to expand their businesses.
"Bangladesh has given us a very good example of how economically poor women in the country can successfully develop themselves once they are empowered," Tony said.
The same thing can be seen in Yogyakarta. Despite the devastating 2006 earthquake and 1997 economic crisis, SMEs in the province, some one-third of which are run by women, survived.
These micro, small and medium business owners do not just help their families, but also make important contributions to the economic growth of their respective villages and towns.
"That is why women-owned enterprises have to be empowered economically, socially and culturally," said Tony.