Women in Indonesia
The roles of Indonesian women today are being affected by many factors, including increased modernization, globalization, improved education and advances in technology. Many women in Indonesia choose to reside in cities instead of staying in townships to perform agricultural work because of personal, professional, and family-related necessities, and economic requirements. These women are moving away from the traditional dictates of Indonesian culture, wherein women act simply and solely as wives and mothers. At present, the women of Indonesia are also venturing actively into the realm of national development, and working as active members of organizations that focus and act on women's issues and concerns.Many pregnant women in Indonesia don't have the financial capability to pay for hospital deliveries and birthing by Caesarian section, because of disproportionate salaries and medical expenses. Thus, these women require the support and assistance of "birth sanctuaries" that provide "free prenatal care, birthing services and medical aid", such as the Yayasan Bumi Sehat health clinics established by Robin Lim, an American midwife, in 2003. Such 24-hour nativity havens, mostly located in Bali and Aceh, help Indonesian women to escape the common practice of private hospitals in Indonesia that entails detaining newborn infants until medical bills are fully remunerated by the birth mothers.
Nonetheless, the economy now seems to be improving and some programs had been done by the government to help promote the health and welfare of women and child. A ministry that especially concerns in the field had been established for a long time since the regime of the late President Soeharto on Orde Baru. How the west always seems to blame others for not having the same standard (while they have the most double-standard ever) seems to be absurd in some ways, if considering the western world over exploits women in the form of display of sexual attraction, some even impacted to other cultures.
After a surge of foreign multinational investors began investing in Indonesia during the 1970s, many Indonesian women became the "prime workforce" and a source of cheap laborers in manufacturing businesses. In the 1990s, some women in Indonesia, including adolescents and the homeless, resorted to engage in employment as sex workers and housemaids due to financial hardship. Some of the women who were forced into such work opted to go abroad, into countries such as Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Some have since become victims of torture, sexual abuse, murder, illegal detention, rape, sodomy, and other forms of sexual assault. Health-wise, as a consequence of becoming prostituted by human traffickers, some have contracted HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Nonetheless with no help from any western's hands, Indonesia had become one in the world with the 1st female president. In 2001, Indonesia's 1st woman president, Megawati Soekarno Putri, got elected--proofing that democracy really rolling in the archipelago. Even now, more bureaucrats position held by woman. Ratu Atut Chosiyah is one of resemblance of uprising numbers of female leaders throughout Indonesia. More and more women became scholars, as in schools proven that female students in the recent years excels more than their male competitors. More scholarships awarded by Indonesian government were given to women, and resulted in higher achievement in their latter life. In most major cities like Jakarta and Surabaya, the modernised and enlightened female workforce tends to postpone the marital age until most possibly late 20s and early 30s. Indonesian women could be considerably shifted to having tremendous changing, as they also work in the prestigious and perhaps manly fields such as architects, doctors, even engineers. Despite for infamously known for the blue collar low-waged workers in the neighbouring countries, most of Indonesian females work as professionals abroad.
Related Sites for Women in Indonesia
- Introduction Agency for Indonesian Women, Indonesian ladies ... read Women in Indonesia
- Indonesian women - Indonesian ladies & singles in indonesia read Women in Indonesia
- Category:Women of Indonesia - Wikimedia Commons read Women in Indonesia