March 11, 2025
JAKARTA – Women workers from a variety of sectors have come together to urge the government to implement stronger legal protections against oppression, discrimination and violence in conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 8.
On Saturday, more than 200 protesters from 30 organizations under the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (API), joined by activists, gathered in front of the Arjuna Wijaya Monument in Central Jakarta.
They voiced demands for women’s rights protection, including through the ratification of the domestic worker protection bill, which has been stalled in the House of Representatives for over 21 years.
Wina Ningsih Kuswadi, an advocate in the Sapulidi Domestic Workers’ Union, which is affiliated with the National Advocacy Network for Domestic Workers (Jala PRT), attributed the delay to the government’s bias toward employers.
“The government opposes the bill because they wear the face of employers […] They consider us unimportant,” said the 42-year-old, who has been a domestic worker for the past three decades, during Saturday’s march
Job security is one of the main concerns addressed in the bill, as many workers in female-dominated sectors lack written contracts, leaving them susceptible to unfair treatment, including low wages and a lack of job stability.
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Wina highlighted other exploitative conditions, such as when employers refused to take responsibility for workers’ injuries and illnesses on the job, usually by sending them home instead of providing support.
Another member of Jala PRT, Anita Jelita, provided examples of employment exploitations and unfair wages.
“One worker in my community had to work while carrying a catheter before surgery because she feared being fired if she took leave,” the 40-year-old woman said.
“Another worker served an employer for eight years but was paid only Rp 1 million [US$60] per month. Her wage was raised only when she had a child but was later reduced again as the child grew older,” she added.
Anita added that some domestic workers earned as little as Rp 500,000 per month, while most received around Rp 2 million, far below Jakarta’s minimum wage of Rp 5.3 million.
The low wages align with 2024 data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) that show that women earn significantly less than men. For every Rp 3.5 million men make per month, women earn only Rp 2.7 million.
Discriminated against for being women
In labor-intensive industries such as garment factories, female workers also face exploitation in different forms.
A 46-year-old garment factory worker in South Jakarta, Sri Rahmawati, who is also a member of the Indonesia United Trade Unions Federation, testified to the unfair treatment women face in the workplace. During her 22 years working for the company, she had witnessed how women faced discrimination simply for being women.
“In my factory, women are afraid of being found out if they are pregnant because the risk is losing their jobs,” she told The Jakarta Post after the Saturday protest.
She explained how employers often justified layoffs by citing expired contracts or workforce efficiency only to hire replacements shortly after to avoid paying maternity leave or holiday bonuses.
Women comprise 85 percent of the garment industry’s workforce, yet they remain vulnerable to intimidation and harassment.
“When workers fail to meet their targets, they are threatened with dismissal,” Rahma said. “Some even have to pay ‘tip money’ to employers just to keep their jobs.”
The 2020 Job Creation Law has worsened job insecurity by allowing employers to hire workers on short-term contracts with vague limits.
At Rahma’s factory, contracts last as little as two weeks or a month, despite workers meeting the criteria for permanent employment, denying them the rights and benefits of permanent employees.
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‘Fight ten times harder’
In the motorcycle taxi-hailing industry, where female drivers are scarce, standing up for women workers’ rights is even more challenging.
Reni Sondari has been on the road for seven years, navigating Jakarta’s heavy traffic while also dodging gender discrimination, not only from passengers but also from fellow drivers, who are predominantly men.
She decided to join the women’s march in the hope that her aspirations for the rights of female drivers would be heard.
“We have to fight ten times harder because we work surrounded by men,” the 45-year-old said.
While a previous protest advocated for holiday benefits for motorcycle taxi drivers, female drivers continue to fight for equality and basic rights.
“All this time, we have been exploited without government protection,” Reni said. “I am sure the government is aware of this, but they choose to be blind and deaf, pretending not to know.”