VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Women’s participation in the decision-making process at political and public institutions, including the government and the parliament, needs to be increased, Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) Puan Maharani has said.

"Women’s role is necessary because women can enrich the perspective of public policy so that the policy can benefit the entire community," Maharani argued here on Wednesday.

She conveyed the statement at the “Empowering Women to Overcome Future Crises,” a special forum for Asia-Pacific women parliament members, which was held before the opening of the 30th Annual Congress of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF 30) in Thailand.

The House Speaker said the involvement of women in public policy decision-making will result in a more inclusive process.

According to her, society should not ignore women’s participation in global and regional development, including in the Asia-Pacific.

She also highlighted the various challenges to women's leadership in some parts of the world, such as cultural and structural issues.

"Until now, there is still a need for struggle in facing culturally rooted sentiments against women and policies that are not gender-responsive," she stated.

The House Speaker also cited the rules in Law No. 12 of 2014 concerning General Elections that stipulate that 30 percent of seats in the House be filled by women.

She also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of female members in the House of Representatives from 17.3 percent to 21.39 percent during the 2019–2024 period.

According to her, Indonesia has seen an increase in women leaders in various fields and continued to strive to produce policies that favor women's empowerment.

"Women have been part of the leadership of many public institutions in Indonesia, and they represent the progress of women in Indonesia," she said. (antaranews)