The Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection on the importance of digital literacy for Indonesian women

Gusti Aju Bintang Darmawati, Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) of Indonesia spoke at the Kartini Digital event on 16 May at the National Library building in Jakarta on the most crucial part of women’s development: digital literacy knowledge.

Darmawati also emphasised the importance of women’s continued involvement in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields) and stated that women must be involved in the digital sphere because that field plays a significant role in the process of innovation, on she added that the participation rate of Indonesian women in the professional globe had dropped significantly and that greater inclusion of women in digital learning can help to reduce the gender gap.

According to research from UNESCO, the low interest in STEM fields, which represent a development strategy, is also reflected in the apparent dominance of men and gender stereotypes in employment.

Gender digital discrimination is also demonstrated by the apparent gap in the use of the internet and mobile phones, as well as the backlog of access to information, as stated by the Minister, who also said that, according to BPS (Statistics Indonesia) data in 2022, only 54.70% of women had access to the internet.

Darmawati suggested that women’s participation in cybersecurity should be strengthened, with a support framework in place to ensure their effective participation in the digital world, noting that women make up about half of Indonesia’s population.