Co-ops told to involve more women

Co-ops told to involve more women

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called for the use of cooperatives as a means to encourage women to improve their role in the country's economic development.

Speaking at the opening of a workshop on the development of women's potentials in economy, Soeharto said a good cooperative which had the full support of its members could bring in great benefits.

Therefore, he said, women could help support their families by becoming members of such cooperatives.

Soeharto acknowledged that women played a crucial role in the country's development. "But it is impossible for them to neglect their roles as housewives, because in our country, the family determines the behavior of the society," he said.

In this respect, he continued, it was important to enable women to build prosperous families.

"Having women to help their families is a way of increasing their roles in society and development. Greater attention is needed in rural and densely populated urban areas, where women struggle hard to support their families," Soeharto said.

He acknowledged that the issue of equal rights for women still need to be fully actualized. "A lot of women play important roles in the country, but compared to the size of our female population -- which is more than half the total population -- their capacities can still be increased," Soeharto said. (pwn)