Creating a culture of gender equality in Indonesian SMEs

Participants of the SCORE Gender Training The large majority of employment for both women and men in Indonesia is found in small-sized and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with more than 50 percent of Indonesian workers are still engaged in informal employment. Furthermore, the key to sustainable economic development that leads to effective poverty reduction also lies in competitive and growing SMEs.

However, discrimination on the basis on gender and youth is still common in the country. Both women and youth are particularly vulnerable to workplace discriminatory practices, including in the SMEs.

We cannot differentiate types of employment based on gender, but should be based on competency. To be successful, SMEs should be supported by competent workers both women and men."

Michiko Miyamoto, Deputy Director of the ILO in Indonesia

To improve the knowledge and increase understanding of the SMEs concerning gender initiatives in the SMEs and practice on gender equality and non-discrimination at work, the ILO through its Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprise (SCORE) programme conducted a two-day SCORE gender training in September 2016.

Around 35 participants from various SMEs enthusiastically participated in this interactive and participatory training. They were introduced to gender sensitive practices at work, learned about the importance and benefit of promoting gender equality and non-discrimination at work and were trained about practical guidelines for SMEs on gender initiatives.

Successful gender sensitive business practices as a role model and inspiration were also shared by Maria Satya Putri, owner and founder of the Spa Factory Bali, a medium-sized company in Bali which produces and develops spa products for international hotel chains. After joining the SCORE programme last year, Maria has improved her gender sensitive company regulation.

With mostly women workers, her company provide one day to four days leave in a month for women and men workers to take care of their sick children or other family emergency, depending on the extent of the emergency. The company also provides a day care facility, allowing workers to bring their children to work.

In addition, options are given to breastfeeding women workers. They can use a lactation room or they can take half an hour break to breastfeed their babies at home. The second option applies for women workers from the surrounding areas of the company.

“Most of our workers are women. The application of these gender sensitive and non-discriminative policies has increased the sense of belonging of the workers. They feel appreciated, respected and protected and, as a result, their productivities also increase,” said Maria, inspiring other SMEs to do the same.

Meanwhile, Michiko Miyamoto, Deputy Director of the ILO in Indonesia, stated that diversity is good for business to reach more diversified market, including women. “We cannot differentiate types of employment based on gender, but should be based on competency. To be successful, SMEs should be supported by competent workers both women and men,” she said.

The gender training was concluded with the development of action plans from the participating SMEs that they could apply at their own company. The participants was in an agreement to point a gender focal point at the enterprise level and they also outlined some proposed actions that could be done at the enterprise level, such as providing a lactation room and an equal training opportunity for both women and men workers.