Yogyakarta, March 7th 2023─Welcoming International Women’s Day 2023, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM together with United Nation Indonesia held a talk show titled “International Women’s Day 2023 DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality” on Tuesday (7/3). Valerie Julliand as the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia was also present to provide views on the issue of gender equality in the digital era.
“We live in an all-digital era. There are various conveniences and speeds of information there. Without realizing it, digitalization itself creates non-inclusive conditions for several groups, one of which is internet accessibility between men and women in the world. In 2022, we find that only 32% of women have internet access, where 68% of men already have it,” said Valerie. She explained how the journey to building gender equality is still very long, even though this effort has been running for more than 300 years.
Inequality between men and women may not be found in large and modern cities. However, for most middle to lower economic groups, especially in developing countries, there is still a lot of the notion that women do not have equal abilities with men. “We can see how many big bosses there are women in the world compared to men. In fact, in business and political representation today, many are still dominated by men. In fact, women should have the same talent as men, but many are reluctant to see it,” she added.
The talk show which was held at the 4th Floor Auditorium Mandiri of Fisipol UGM was welcomed by the Dean of Fisipol UGM as a critical discussion space for issues of gender equality. “We thank UNRC Indonesia for coming to our faculty. Fisipol UGM has triple concerns, namely COVID-19, climate change, and digital revolution issues. This is an honor for us and we are very open to collaborating and collaborating in the future,” said Wawan Mas’udi as the Dean of Fisipol UGM.
According to Valerie, Yogyakarta as a city with a large home industry has a high potential for the development of female talents. MSMEs engaged in products with nuances of Indonesian art are mostly headed by women. This of course proves that the economy of a region is not determined by gender, men and women alike can have their respective roles.
“I am amazed by the tenacity of the Jogja women. They don’t just focus on making money doing their job, but they enjoy it. They represent the ability of Indonesian women to support the economy,” said Valerie.