Women's Day: A time to take stock of women's progress

Text and photos by P.J. Leo

JAKARTA (JP): The country observes Women's Day each Dec. 22, a time to evaluate the gains made by women in striving to secure an equal position in society.

At the turn of the millennium, Indonesian women must still deal with being stigmatized as "weak" and suffering treatment as second-class citizens in a male-dominated society. Gender stereotypes remain entrenched even though women are generally hard working and increasingly well-educated.

For affluent women and the wives of government officials living in urban areas, Women's Day is often marked by being freed from their daily duties for a day of rest.

The spirit of observing Women's Day -- celebrating women as equal partners in society -- remains alien to rural communities, where people tend to accept their roles according to the dictates of tradition.

But women in rural communities labor to support their families, toiling as hard as their menfolk. In the cities, these women often take work on construction projects.

The day is also a time to reflect on women who made a difference in this country's history, such as women's emancipation figure R.A. Kartini, Acehnese heroine Cut Nya' Dien and educator Dewi Sartika.

Indonesia can take pride in the fact that many women hold key positions in the public and private sectors. In the government, there is Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, State Minister of the Empowerment of Women Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Minister of Resettlement and Regional Development Erna Witoelar.

The gains are no reason for complacency. Much more needs to be done before a day specially designated for recognizing the rightful position of women will no longer be necessary.