Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has criticized the limited number of Indonesian women who have been bestowed the title of national heroes. According to 2023 records from the Ministry of Social Affairs, only 8 percent of holders of the national hero title are women, or 16 out of a total of 206 individuals.
Maria Ulfah, the Chairperson of Komnas Perempuan, pointed out how this signals the many overlooked contributions by women in the national narrative. "There are many women heroes with their roles left unrecorded," Maria said in a virtual discussion on Monday, November 10, 2025.
Maria argued that the lack of recognized women heroes reflects a predominantly masculine perspective in Indonesian history.
The constructed historical narratives in Indonesia often assign supporting roles to women, rather than recognizing them as principal actors. She emphasized that historical records must uphold the principle of gender justice. "A gender-just history is the foundation for a future of justice," she added.
Indonesia this year bestowed the national hero title on ten national figures, with only two of them women. They are labor activist Marsinah and Islamic education activist Rahmah El Yunusiyah.
Rahmah was known for her struggles to promote education and women's emancipation. She established Perguruan Diniyyah Puteri in Padang Panjang in 1923, which became the first girls-only Islamic boarding school in Asia with well-known graduates.
Some of the graduates from Rahmah's boarding school included H.R. Rasuna Said and Nurhayati Subakat, the founder of the Indonesian cosmetics brand Wardah. Rahmah El Yunusiyyah was born in Padang Panjang on October 16, 1900, and passed away on February 26, 1969.
During the revolution, Rahmah assumed a dual role as a teacher at the boarding school and that of a fighter. She pioneered the formation of supply units for the People's Security Army in Padang Panjang. Her responsibilities extended not only to rations but also to armaments.
Another woman who was posthumously bestowed the title of national hero this year is the labor activist Marsinah.
Marsinah was born in Nganjuk, East Java, on April 10, 1969, and passed away on May 8, 1993. She was killed after supporting her colleagues who were on strike to demand workers' rights. The perpetrator of Marsinah's murder remains unidentified to this day.