Give female workers a break, say Kowani
Give female workers a break, say Kowani
JAKARTA (JP): The Corps of Indonesian Women (Kowani) appealed
to employers and educators yesterday to give women workers better
opportunity to enhance their careers.
Kowani chairperson Enny Busiri said in a workshop yesterday
that women workers in Indonesia are still subject to
discrimination in the workplace and even at schools.
Enny said the key to a more equal partnership between men and
women in workplaces lies in education, which means that women
should be given equal access to education and training.
Kowani is an umbrella group of various women's organizations
in Indonesia.
Yesterday's one-day workshop held at the Ministry of Manpower
was intended to implement some of the recommendations from a
seminar last month to improve the conditions of women workers in
Indonesia.
Enny stressed the importance of eliminating all the remaining
practices of sexual discrimination at workplaces.
Noting that the labor legislation does not discriminate
against women workers, she appealed for their consistent
involvement.
"To enhance women's productivity and welfare, the government's
training and apprenticeship programs should be made available to
as many women workers as possible," she said.
The number of women workers in Indonesia has continued to
increase with more and more of them opting to have a career. In
1980, women workers made up 33 percent of the total work force in
Indonesia and by 1990, the percentage had risen to 39 percent.
Most of them however are still employed in menial jobs
requiring little skill.
Enny attributed this to the lack of access to education, which
in turn is caused by the still prevailing attitude among parents
to give greater priority to sons rather than daughters when it
comes to schooling.
She said this attitude also prevails in many other developing
countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Director General for Manpower Placement Abdul
Rachim in his presentation emphasized the government's intention
to tighten regulations concerning the way Indonesia is sending
workers overseas, particularly women workers.
The program of sending workers overseas has been widely
criticized in the past because many Indonesian women were poorly
protected against harassment from their employers. Many also
criticized the program because Indonesia has been sending mostly
domestic helpers.
Rachim said the government intends to phase out the sending of
unskilled workers.
Indonesia has also secured agreements with the governments of
countries where there are many Indonesian workers to ensure that
they enjoy legal protection and other social security benefits.
(rms)