Kartini the futurist: a role model for Indonesian men (and women)

By: Robert Herdiyanto, Senior Economist, IA-CEPA ECP Katalis

This op-ed was published on The Jakarta Post on 21 April 2024.

Kartini has been dubbed many titles. A feminist, a heroine, a writer, a trailblazer. She has a lot of detractors too – those who saw her as only desiring for change but lacking the courage to step out of her comfort zone.  Despite her decisions, she never lacked the zeal to promote the idea that there’s a better, more equal future for the people.  A point that is as relevant in her time as it is ours, particularly in the context of Indonesia’s ambition toward the socio-economic targets of Vision 2045.

That’s how I see her, Kartini the futurist and role model for all Indonesians and especially men. This may sound ironic coming from an Indonesian man with a privileged background—part of the growing upper middle class, educated abroad, and with decent income. But here’s why.

First, Kartini advocated equality. The patriarchal society that trapped Kartini may be less confining today but still exists in a modern version. Research by Equimundo (2022) shows that many men support equality in the abstract but defend their privilege and the status quo in practice. In fact, the report suggests we may even be further from achieving gender equality than we should be.

This is big problem because men are a crucial ally to promoting gender equality in the workplace.  Research shows that 96% of organizations report progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) when men are actively involved, compared to only 30% that report progress when men are not engaged (Catalyst, 2022). And a diverse and inclusive environment directly links to the positive performance of the whole organization, including commercially. Simply put, without men, we will not achieve gender equality in Indonesia. And, we have a lot of work ahead of ourselves. 

Second, Kartini cautioned that change would need to come from within our own society. This made me think about whether I am overlooking my own relative power and privilege I am afforded to challenge the discriminatory conventions of my time that are impeding gender equality. Speeding up this timeline starts with men, like me, who could and should champion gender equality, by believing change is possible, regularly calling out gender bias (in themselves and others), and engaging other colleagues, women and men, in dialogue, and raising awareness on gender equality. These are actions that are proven to advance gender equality in the workplace, and eventually the overall performance of the organisation.

If we are to close the gender gap, men cannot decide to champion women in the workplace but retain the status quo at home. Many of the restrictive norms of our day which hold equality back, are rooted in the disproportionate unpaid care work carried out by women and girls at the home. Research by Equimundo (2022) shows that men often fail to acknowledge the inequitable division of unpaid care work. In Indonesia it is hard not to notice the huge disparities in the unpaid care work burden with women carrying out an exhausting 8.1 hours per day compared to men’s 2.3 hours per day (Prospera, 2023). The heavy burden of unpaid care work on women are reliable predictors of when an Indonesian woman exits the labour force, which is a highly concerning fact that has been on-going for decades.

This long-standing issue is even more pressing if Indonesia is to fully embrace its development vision to 2045. Female labour force participation in Indonesia has been lingering at slightly above 50% over the past three decades (World Bank Gender Data Portal). The Government of Indonesia is envisioning a female labour participation rate of 65% by 2045, indicating a huge gap to fill. To truly empower women, and to help the country become an economic powerhouse, it is equally important to design interventions targeting various stakeholders in women’s circles, in particularly men, to positively impact attitudes and norms around women’s economic participation. They need and deserve more help.

Third, Kartini broke down barriers through her embrace of those beyond her circle. This is the kind of attitude we need to have to be effective gender champions. This too is where organisations have a key role to play, not by just organizing Kartini day celebrations, but also by motivating men to get involved, removing barriers for men’s support, promoting dialogue and importantly committing to action.  For example, research shows that the most powerful predictor of men’s interest in diversity training is their manager and the interest they show (or not) in organizational DEI efforts.

Closing the gender equality gap in Indonesia requires us to use all opportunities, including Kartini Day, to draw attention to the critical (and largely overlooked) role that men play in gender equality.  We need Indonesian men and boys to be brave and vocal advocates for gender equality on Kartini Day, and the 364 other days of the year, so that future generations don’t wonder if we stood idly by and let Indonesian women and girls unfairly bear the burdens of our time.

This, I believe, would make Kartini proud.

The author is a senior economist at IA-CEPA Economic Cooperation Program Katalis. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.