Women in Indonesia

Women in Indonesia

Indonesian women often run small business to support their family, such as traders in marketplace or as street vendors.
Gender Inequality Index
Value	0.494 (2012)
Rank	106th
Maternal mortality (per 100,000)	220 (2010)
Women in parliament	18.2% (2012)
Females over 25 with secondary education	48.9% (2012)
Women in labour force	51.2% (2011)
Global Gender Gap Index
Value	0.6613 (2013)
Rank	95th out of 144

The roles of Indonesian women today are being affected by many factors, including increased modernisation, globalisation, improved education and advances in technology. Many women in Indonesia choose to reside in cities instead of staying in townships to perform agricultural work because of personal, professional, and family-related necessities, and economic requirements. These women are moving away from the traditional dictates of Indonesian culture, wherein women act simply and solely as wives and mothers. At present, the women of Indonesia are also venturing actively into the realm of national development, and working as active members of organisations that focus and act on women's issues and concerns.

In Indonesian society, women performed vital roles both within or outside the family. In rural native society, certain positions, such as dukun beranak (traditional midwife), traditional healer, to ritualist and shaman are often held by women. Despite their roles seems to being reduced, if not rather confined, after the adoption of somewhat patriarchal cultures of Hinduism, Buddhism, to Islam and Christianity, women still hold important position, especially within family. The Minangkabaus are known as one of the few traditional society that applied matriarchal culture, where property and family names is inherited from mother to daughter, and husband is considered as "guest" in their wives' household.

In Indonesian history, there are records of some prominent women that held and exercised considerable power and influences within their society, despite usually reserved only for elite ruling class. Among others are Queen Shima of Kalingga Kingdom (c. 7th century), Pramodhawardhani of Medang Kingdom (c. 9th century), Mahendradatta of Bali (c. 10th century), Ken Dedes of Singhasari (c. 13th century), also queens of Majapahit (c. 13th-15th century); Gayatri Rajapatni, Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi and Suhita. Sultanate of Aceh also recorded several sultanahs ever ruled the sultanate.