Indonesian women are still obliged to quit their paid jobs due to caring responsibilities

JAKARTA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) is launching the key findings of its workers’ perception survey on care work on Wednesday, 15 November, at Hotel Kempinski Indonesia, Jakarta. The survey is part of the development of Indonesia’s Road Map and National Action Plan on Care Economy led by the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection, highlighting the crucial of balancing a job with care that is essential for societies and economies to thrive and of narrowing significant gaps in care services and policies to alleviate poverty, encourage gender equality and support care for children and the elderly.

The survey is part of the ILO support to the Government of Indonesia in developing and formulating Road Map and National Action Plan on Care Work. The key findings of this survey will be used as the basis for identifying appropriate actions on the promotion of care work Indonesia and on the development of transformative policies that are crucial to ensuring the future of work founded on social justice and promoting gender equality for all."

Diego Rei, Acting ILO Country Director for Indonesia

Conducted in collaboration with KataData Insight Centre, the survey aims to explore perception of Indonesian workers in various sectors regarding the economic value of care work and identify the level of perception related to care work based on the ILO’s 5R framework for decent care work—Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, Reward and Represent—to establish a gender equal work of work. The survey also aims to identify recommendations for improving actions taken in promoting care work as a shared responsibility, not solely women’s responsibility.

Conducted online for 1.5 months from 15 September to 3 November 2023, the survey covers a total of 2,217 respondents representing various workers from various sectors, including domestic workers, care workers, online workers, creative workers and entrepreneurs. Around 67.5 per cent of the respondents are women and 67.4 per cent work in informal economy in 34 provinces. Most of the respondents are aged 27-42 years old (58.2 per cent), followed by aged 18-26 years old (27.5 per cent).

The result shows only 85.5 per cent of respondents recognize care work has an economic value. Although 92.3 per cent recognize direct, personal and relational care activities such as feeding a baby or nursing a sick child or partner as care work; a higher percentage of respondents (95.3 per cent), however, do not recognize and value indirect care activities such as cooking and cleaning as care work.

The survey reveals that 61.6 per cent of male respondents have wives or sisters who bear a double burden, while female respondents with a double burden is 79.3 per cent. However, most of female respondents (67.3 per cent) also said that they do not feel like they have longer hours to do care work compared to male.

In addition, 68.3 per cent of male respondents stated that it is natural for women to leave their paid jobs for caring responsibilities as part of their obligation as a mother or a daughter. Interestingly, almost the same percentage of female respondents (66.2 per cent) have a similar notion that they should prioritize their caring obligation over their careers. This is in line with 80.5 per cent of respondents who believe that women are naturally suited to caregiving and care works.

Further, the study shows that maternity and paternity leaves as well as flexible working hour are the most known and are the most provided care programmes for both formal and informal workers. However, 28.8 per cent of respondents said that their companies do not provide any care programmes, while 16.3 per cent do not take the programmes due to the pay cut.

“These reasons apply for both formal and informal workers with 30.1 per cent of formal workers and 28.2 per cent of informal workers said that their workplaces do not provide the care programmes; while 15.4 per cent of formal workers and 16.8 per cent of informal workers choose not take the programmes due to the pay cut,” reported the study.

Flexible working mechanisms such as work from home or work from anywhere have become the most adopted care programme. In terms of voicing workers’ aspirations about care work, 53 per cent of respondents said that their workplaces do not have trade unions and 49.2 percent said that the companies or regional governments do not support the establishment of trade unions.

These key findings are discussed and examined in the interactive talkshow titled “Is care work only a woman’s job or a shared responsibility?”, presenting key resources persons from the government, business, gender activist and the ILO: Lenny N. Rosalin, Deputy Minister for Gender Equality of the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection; Myra Hanartani, Chair of Regulatory and Institutional Relations Committee of the Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo); Melanie Subono, Singer and gender activist and Early Dewi Nuriana, ILO Programme Coordinator for Care Economy.

“The survey is part of the ILO support to the Government of Indonesia in developing and formulating Road Map and National Action Plan on Care Work. The key findings of this survey will be used as the basis for identifying appropriate actions on the promotion of care work Indonesia and on the development of transformative policies that are crucial to ensuring the future of work founded on social justice and promoting gender equality for all,” said Diego Rei, Acting ILO Country Director for Indonesia.

The ILO estimates that investing in universal childcare and long-term care services in Indonesia could generate 10.4 million jobs by 2035. The investment in a universal and comprehensive care policy package could improve women’s employment rate from 49 per cent in 2019 to 56.8 per cent by 2035 and gender gap in monthly wages from 20.6 per cent in 2019 to 10 per cent by 2035.

For further information please contact:

Early Dewi Nuriana
ILO Programme Coordinator for Care Economy
Email: [email protected]

Gita Lingga
ILO Communications Officer
Email: [email protected]