Investing in Childcare: Encouraging Policies to Support Indonesian Women’s Participation in the Labor Force

The World Bank, supported by the Australian Government, is implementing its Gender Engagement Plan to support the achievement of the Indonesian Government’s objective to close the female labor force participation gap by 25 percent by 2025. Through a series of outreach and engagement activities, the Gender Engagement Plan will spotlight key reforms, programs, and evidence-based support aimed at accelerating women’s participation in the work force

Indonesia’s female labor force participation rate has been stagnant for the last 20 years, recorded at around 52 percent compared to male's 85 percent, creating a 30 percentage points gender gap between men and women. Data from a World Bank study shows that the low female labor force participation is linked with unmet childcare needs, limited flexible or part-time work opportunities, lack of labor protection,  a 30 percent gender wage gap, and dominant social norms that position women’s role as solely wives and mothers. Marriage and childbearing as the primary predictors of women’s absence in the labor force suggest that the household structure and childcare responsibility are fundamental constraints for Indonesian women’s economic and productive pursuits.

As an official G20 Women Empowerment side-event of Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (MoWECP), this webinar will convene multi-sectoral leaders across the public, private, development partners, and civil society spheres to discuss how institutional policies, such as childcare provision, can enhance female labor force participation rate and address existing constraints for women’s economic pursuits. In collaboration with Indonesia’s women’s magazine Femina, the webinar will further discuss the following:

• The childcare system and affordable childcare facilities as a mechanism for women to participate in the labor force.
• Best practices within company policy regulations in providing facilities to support women’s development in the workplace.
• Inputs and suggestions on policies to support the government and other stakeholders in facilitating women to return into the workplace.

The webinar will be live streamed on Zoom in English and in Bahasa Indonesia, with a sign language interpretation facility. Instructions to choose the language can be read here.