Women's opportunities in politics limited

JAKARTA (JP): A scholar says Indonesian women face "covert discrimination" in politics as seen by the few women in the House of Representatives, despite over half the voters being women.

Saparinah Sadli, head of the Women Studies Program at the University of Indonesia's Post Graduate School, told an Asia Pacific workshop on gender equality yesterday that although no laws discriminate against them, women's political opportunity is limited.

"Despite most of the voters in the country being women, only a small number of them are House members," Saparinah, a psychology professor, told The Jakarta Post.

"How else can the decision makers explain it, if not because of covert discrimination against women," she said. "It's not because women are incompetent."

According to the 1990 Census, of the country's 179,321,641 people, there were 89,873,406 women. Some 8 percent of women and 4 percent of men were illiterate.

For 1992 to 1997, there are 62 women in the 500 member House of Representatives. Only 40 of the 500 member People's Consultative Assembly are women.

There are two women in the 39-member cabinet: State Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi and Minister of Social Services Inten Suweno.

Saparinah blamed society for thinking that women can break free from discrimination without support. "Decision makers often think that problems affecting women are women's alone," she said. "In fact, the campaign for gender equality needs the support of everybody."

The four-day workshop on "Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific through the Women's Convention: A Call to Action", which opened yesterday, is being organized by the Asia Pacific Women in Politics Network and the Convention Watch Group of the Women's Studies Graduate Program of the University of Indonesia.

More than 40 participants from 12 countries are attending.

Prominent legislator Aisyah Amini blamed culture and tradition for discouraging women from entering politics because society still believes that politics is a man's world.

"Our culture says women should not enter politics because politicians have to be outspoken and straightforward, something which doesn't fit with its image of women," said Aisyah, who chairs the House of Representative's Commission I for foreign affairs, defense and information.

"Indonesian girls are raised to be quiet, obedient housewives, who serve their husbands and children well, so women who enter politics are considered to be going against their destiny," Aisyah said. She is also a member of the National Committee on Human Rights. (31)