Women’s participation in the labor market is no longer a secondary issue, but rather the core of inclusive economic development. Although women’s participation has increased slowly over the past decade, the gender gap in Indonesia’s labor market remains quite high, with women’s participation far below men’s on average. Sakernas 2023 data reveals that Indonesian women face various structural challenges such as limited access to childcare, rigid social norms, and less flexible working conditions. Interestingly, women’s high level of education does not necessarily guarantee decent work, where women with higher education often face a high risk of unemployment due to a mismatch between qualifications and market needs. This condition demands serious attention in designing more gender-sensitive labor policies, especially in improving the quality of jobs for women in the formal sector and white-collar jobs.
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