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)