Education and Women

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who campaigned for women’s right to education, was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school. She survived and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. In Indonesia, more than a century earlier, Raden Ajeng Kartini wrote her letters in Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang, fighting against traditions that forbade women from attending school and determining their own fate. Both carried the same message: education is a right, not a privilege. When women gain access to education, not only do they change, but so do their families, society, and civilisation.

However, more than a century after Kartini, the struggle remains long. Access to women’s education in Indonesia has indeed increased, but various structural and cultural challenges continue to be obstacles. The focus should not only be on improving access, but also on the sustainability and quality of empowerment resulting from education.

PARADOX OF ACCESS VS WORK PARTICIPATION

BPS data for 2025 shows that access to women’s education in Indonesia continues to rise, even surpassing men in some levels. In the 13-15 age group (junior secondary school), female school participation reaches 97.22%, higher than males at 95.43%. In higher education, female participation (35.98%) also exceeds males (29.88%). This means girls tend to be more consistent in continuing their education compared to boys.

However, the paradox is evident when this data is compared to the world of work. The female labour force participation rate (TPAK) is only 63.95%, far below males at 81.61%. Women are more likely to work in the informal sector or stop working altogether. Pressure from social norms, the assumption that women must care for children and husbands, and the lack of systemic support lead many women to reduce work activities or leave employment. These choices are often seen as ‘personal preferences’, when in reality they are influenced by a system that does not provide adequate support.

Although women have made significant progress in education, this has not yet fully translated into equality in the workplace. The low female labour force participation is not solely due to lack of ability or education, but also a combination of structural and cultural factors that limit their choices. Many highly educated women still have their life choices restricted by social norms.

WHEN EDUCATION DOES NOT LIBERATE

UNESCO (2024) emphasises that educational equality cannot be measured solely by access, but by how far education empowers women in real life. According to Amartya Sen (1999), empowered women mean they are free to determine their life choices, able to make decisions, and have control over resources. Empowerment is not just about providing access or opportunities, but also the ability to determine life choices freely and with dignity.

Education does not only serve as a means of social mobility, but also as a tool for reproducing inequality through what is called cultural capital—values, knowledge, habits, and skills passed down through family and social environment (Pierre Bourdieu, 1986). This means that even if someone accesses education, the outcomes obtained are still influenced by the surrounding social structure.

Women today are more schooled and educated, but not necessarily freer to determine their lives. The question then arises: can our education build that awareness?

It must be emphasised: it does not mean that every woman who chooses to be a housewife is automatically disempowered. A woman with a master’s degree who chooses to care for her children because she truly enjoys it, knows her career alternatives, and can change her mind at any time without losing dignity—that is a free choice. However, a woman with a master’s degree who makes the same choice because her husband forbids her to work, fears being labelled a ‘negligent mother’, or does not know she could be a manager—that is a forced choice wrapped as a ‘personal preference’.

The role of transformative education is not to force women to choose careers, but to ensure that whatever they choose is truly their choice. Essentially, women’s transformation is not enough just by being educated. It must start from the awareness that the barriers they face are often not fate, but social constructions. Without that awareness, women will continue to be trapped in decisions they did not actually choose.

TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION IS POSSIBLE

Transformative education is not impossible. A real example can be seen at Sekolah Sukma, which implements education based on critical awareness. At Sukma, male and female students are trained to lead meetings, debate social issues, and present learning outcomes in public (student-led conferences). Women have equal rights in electing the student council president, and several times the student council president has been a woman. There is no teaching that women must do A and men must do B. All are given the understanding that they have equal rights and obligations, and are free to determine their respective roles in their social environment. As a result, female alumni often take fields of study that have previously been dominated by men, such as engineering, construction, and oil drilling. That is an example that education which builds awareness, not just report card grades, can realise what Kartini fought for.

Of course, Sekolah Sukma is a private school with limited resources and does not represent the majority of schools in Indonesia. However, the principle it implements, integrating critical awareness into daily activities rather than as a separate subject, can be adapted by any school.