Gender Discrimination and Stereotypes in Indonesia's Modern Society

Currently, Indonesia is facing many serious problems in various fields. There are numerous issues in society that we, as individuals living in this country, should be aware of. One of the most persistent and significant issues is the discrimination and stereotyping of gender, an issue that has been ongoing for an extended period. Indonesia faces several serious social challenges, and one of the most prominent issues persisting to this day is related to gender discrimination.

Gender discrimination occurs when a person is treated unequally or unfairly based on their gender identity. Sexism exacerbates gender discrimination by fostering biased attitudes and actions rooted in a person's sex or gender. The primary cause of this problem lies in the lack of knowledge within society, particularly among children and teenagers, about the concept of gender equality. This lack of awareness results in discrimination against a specific gender, with women experiencing a higher rate of such discrimination.

Gender stereotypes involve generalised perspectives or preconceived ideas about the attributes, characteristics, or roles associated with men and women. A gender stereotype becomes harmful when it restricts the abilities and choices of women and men in developing their talents, pursuing careers, and making life decisions. 

For example, society often assumes that women are weak and must be protected from all threats of violence, limiting the space for women to express themselves. Men are often taught that handling issues with violence is a sign of strength, and feeling emotional is a sign of weakness.

Various forms of gender discrimination and stereotyping persist to this day. One such form is marginalisation, where a certain gender lacks access to and control over resources, leading to poverty. Some jobs and workplaces discriminate by providing lower wages to women compared to male employees. 

Another form is the double burden, where one gender receives a greater workload than the other. Women are often expected to balance maintaining their households and working for extended hours, with some receiving lower wages. Additionally, violence, both physical and verbal, can be perpetrated by one gender against another, with the stereotype of men being strong and women being weak contributing to females being the primary targets.

Problems regarding gender discrimination and stereotypes are still prevalent issues in Indonesia. Discrimination and stereotypes targeted against women are commonly found in almost any time, space, and place. 

In political or organisational spaces, gaining and earning a higher position as a woman could be challenging, as many Indonesians still believe that men are more logical while women are more emotional, hence creating assumptions that women could not lead and make decisions as effectively as men. In reality, many women are as capable as men in leading, decision-making, and many other abilities as well, or sometimes can be even better than some men.

Discrimination against women is often found on Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and various other social media platforms through shared content and comments. Women are frequently objectified as sexual objects, as if they are not real people with feelings. The objectification of women is pervasive. 

As technology continues to evolve, the sexualization and objectification of women seem to increase, especially in a generation where the use of AI (artificial intelligence) is prevalent and can cause harm in multiple ways, such as creating fake nude or pornographic content using innocent people's faces and identities with deepfake technology. 

In recent years, cases of creating fake images and videos using deepfakes to spread false rumours or narratives have become more frequent and are often used to threaten or blackmail people.