Nurfika Osman – The government's lack of political will was part of the reason why women did not have the same access as men to quality education, health services and economic and political opportunities, experts said on Friday.

According to a recent gender gap study conducted by the World Economic Forum, Indonesia ranked 93rd out of 134 countries. It was behind countries such as Tajikistan and Ghana.

"Given the result of this survey, you have to ask whether government programs that are supposed to improve women's access to education, health and livelihood are effective or not," said Ida Ruwaida Noor, head of the Gender Studies Center at the University of Indonesia. "Is the government serious about giving equal priority to women? Based on this survey, I think not."

Ida said the government already had programs in place for women. Implementing them, however, was another story.

She cited the Education Ministry's school operation aid (BOS). Many women are believed to benefit from the aid, which helps provide free uniforms and books to low-income families, but in reality, the aid is not reaching its intended beneficiaries.

"The benefits of programs like the BOS actually just go straight to the state officials' pockets and their families, and do not reach the people they were intended for – which are those who cannot afford to send their children to school," Ida said.

Sri Danti, the deputy for gender mainstreaming at the State Ministry for Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, said social status still had a large influence on the education system.

"The patriarchal system in the country is still strong. For example, boys more than girls are prioritized in education," she said.

The government also funds health programs directed at curbing the number of women dying during child birth. But Ida said the maternal mortality rate was still high at 420 deaths per 100,000 births – one of the highest in East Asia.

She said discrimination against women was even worse among the poor, as their chances of gaining access to quality education and health services dropped considerably.

In terms of women's livelihood, the National Program for Community Empowerment, the brainchild of the Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, was only a short-term program, Ida said. While the program was commendable, she said it only helped women make ends meet rather than provide them with a sustainable source of income.

Danti said the current global economic crisis compounded the problem. "The global downturn makes it even harder for people, especially women, to gain access to quality services," she said.

The lack of efficient coordination between the central and local governments, she said, also contributed to the imbalance.

"That's the reason why gender-mainstreaming programs do not run properly. There's a lack of communication," Danti said, adding that narrowing the gender gap continued to be one of the main challenges facing the women's empowerment ministry.

Ida said the government needed to be more proactive in making sure its programs were carried out properly. "Methods to monitor these programs and evaluate them have to be put in place, especially if the country hopes to achieve the [UN] Millennium Development Goals by 2015," she said.

Indonesia ranked higher than Malaysia, which placed 101st on the gender gap list, and Cambodia (104th), but trailed other neighbors such as the Philippines (9th), Thailand (59th), Vietnam (71st) and Singapore (85th).

The country also placed 93rd in 2008, a steep drop from its No. 68 ranking in the 2006 survey.

The survey assessed gender equality in a number of areas that included education, economy, politics and health.