Jakarta – To commemorate Kartini Day this year, a coalition of women's rights activists under the Indonesian Women Front demanded the government prioritize the provision of adequate social security for working women across the country.
In an official statement, the activists highlighted four problems that have plagued Indonesian women since the days of Kartini: early marriage, work, education and reproduction health.
"Instead of celebrating Kartini Day with kebaya [traditional Indonesian dress] fashion shows, schools across Indonesia should regard the commemoration day as a medium to educate youth about the current social conditions of Indonesian women," the group said in a statement.
The activists cited illiteracy and length of education as two major problems in the education system.
A 2009 Central Statistics Agency (BPS) report shows that almost 13 million women in Indonesia, accounting for 5.9 percent of the entire population, are illiterate. The same report shows that the average length of education for females in Indonesia is 7.3 years.
"Poverty and access to schools are the two main problems factoring into these low numbers," Front member Dian Kartikasari told The Jakarta Post at the office of the Independent Journalists Alliance at Senen, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.
According to Dian, many areas in Indonesia did not have any education institutions higher than elementary schools, which usually resulted in early marriage.
"The 2009 BPS report stated that more than 15 million Indonesian women marry between 10 and 15 years of age and another 39.4 million marry between the ages of 16 and 18," she said.
She added that early marriage was the main factor behind unnecessarily high maternal and infant mortality rates. "When they are marrying at a very young age, they are not mature enough to become mothers," Dian said.
Another present problem for women, according to the activists, is the lack of equal workplace rights.
Front spokesperson Ruth Indiah Rahayu said the problems women workers face at workplace concern equal pay, working status and reproduction health. "Some companies see menstruation periods and pregnancy as inefficiencies toward their business productivity," Ruth said.
"Lack of medical benefits and vague health insurance policies regarding pregnancy are also huge issues," she added.
Problems of equal pay become apparent when a recently married female worker does not receive any salary increases or family allowances, unlike their male counterparts, Ruth said.
At the core of the problem, according to Veronika from the Apik Legal Aid Foundation, is an outdated marriage law, passed in 1974, with no revisions until today. "According to the law, men are the sole breadwinner in a household and women should only act as housewives," Veronika said.
Veronika said this paradigm should change because many wives today are as capable as their husbands in providing for the family.
"Further proof that the law must be revised is the legal age for marriage. The law stipulated that the legal age for female to marry is 16," Veronika said. "This is against the UN Convention for Children's Rights, which stipulates that the legal age of marriage is 18."
"All the ideas of women's rights that Kartini fought for in her lifetime are still relevant today. We have to continue her struggle," Veronika said. (mim)