Indonesia's male-heavy Cabinet stokes gender equality debate

Newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto unveiled Indonesia's new and enlarged Cabinet last month, naming ministers, deputy ministers and heads of various national agencies.

In total, he appointed 109 members, including a mix of professional and political appointees, with some ministers remaining on the job after serving for Prabowo's predecessor, Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi.

But only 14 of the appointees are women, and in the 48-member Cabinet, there are only five female ministers.

The low figure has drawn criticism from gender equality campaigners, who have expressed concerns over inadequate representation of women at the top of government.

Jokowi, for his part, began his 10-year presidency with nine women in the Cabinet and ended it with four.

According to critics, this disbalance between male and female leaders shows the long road ahead to achieve gender equality in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.

How does it impact policymaking?

While women helm some influential ministries like finance, or communication and digital affairs, critics say they have largely been excluded from key policy areas such as health, education and employment.

Titi Anggraeni, a law expert at the University of Indonesia, argued that insufficient female representation could impact policymaking, budgeting and the monitoring of development programs.

"It is very possible that the policy will be gender-biased, not inclusive, and very masculine. It seems that we are going backwards," she told DW.

Women's rights activist Yuri Muktia echoed this view, saying that the gender makeup of Prabowo's new Cabinet did not align with the current global trends.

"It's far from the hopes we aspire to, especially in the women's movement. If we refer to the ideals of sustainable development goals (SDGs), 30% women's representation is important in the political realm," Muktia told DW.

Prabowo, a 73-year-old former general, became leader of the world's fourth most populous nation last monthImage: Indonesian parliament

Growing threats to women's rights

Activists say the lack of adequate representation also endangers women's empowerment and access to basic necessities such as education and reproductive rights.

Even though considerable progress has been made in terms of women's access to schools and jobs in recent years, female labor force participation in Indonesia still stands at just 54%, compared to 84% for men.

There is also a significant gender pay gap, with women estimated to earn approximately 23% less than men on average. 

Many female workers also lack awareness about their basic rights, such as the right to take two days of paid leave when they are menstruating.

Women's rights and freedoms have also been increasingly threatened by the rise of religious extremism in the country. Islamic fundamentalist groups, particularly in places like Aceh province, often call for restricting women's activities in public and silencing their voices.

Andi Faizah, from the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (Infid), stressed that it's crucial for women to occupy key positions in government.

"Women have a role to play in promoting more inclusive and equitable policies by drawing on the real experiences of women and other vulnerable groups," she wrote in a piece published on the organization's website.

Representation in parliament goes up

On a slightly positive note, however, women's representation in Indonesia's parliament has seen a gradual increase over the past decade.

In the 2014 legislative elections, women secured 17.3% of seats, which rose to 20.8% following the 2019 elections.

The 2024 elections set a new record, with women winning 22.1% of the seats. Currently, 127 of the 580 parliament members are female.

However, this figure is still lower than the global average of 26.2%, and also lower than that in neighboring countries such as Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines.

Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru