Indonesia Team Member on Girl Power Talk: We Found Each Other

As you could guess, both Shaheena and Luna finally met each other as Girl Power Talk family members. The fact that Girl Power Talk doesn't sweat much about background experience makes them grateful. Moreover, there is a lot of training for team members to further develop their skills within the organization. Cross-disciplinary, regardless of their background.
Indonesia's Homework on The Issue of Women Empowerment
The results of the latest survey released in February 2023 by Badan Pusat Statistik (Central Bureau of Statistics) shows that Indonesia still has a lot of work to do in terms of women's involvement in employment.

The labor force participation rate of women in Indonesia is calculated lower (54.42%) compared to men (83.98%). From this smaller percentage, Indonesia remains to face inequality in terms of wages and social security; women's wages and their social security coverage are typically lower than men's.

Indonesia's Minister of Manpower herself --Ida Fauziah-- once mentioned that this number shows that discrimination against women exists. Apart from that, she also spoke on threats of violence and sexual harassment in the work environment. Not to mention the additional burden for women who often act as breadwinners, while having to do household work.

The issue of women in the workplace becomes a concern for the Indonesian team members at Girl Power Talk. To me personally, Dee dan Shaheena's stories highlighted the limited opportunities women have to express their opinions in the workplace. They often face the practice of 'mansplaining'. It is not surprising that women become less confident or even reluctant to reach a higher career level due to the institutionalized male domination in work culture.

Women also often experience discrimination and judgment in regards to their biological conditions. They are considered incompetent, unstable and emotional compared to men. Moreover, the way women dress is more regulated in the workplace: "Which one looks the most modest and professional? Which one is considered seductive?".

In response to this issue, the five members of the Indonesia team hope that their involvement in Girl Power Talk can contribute to creating an ideal work environment for women by taking concrete actions. They conduct education on social media with partners that help organize women empowerment campaigns, and publish articles to spread awareness of the issue.

But a movement can't make social progress alone, right?
I personally don't think these five girls need to worry. While carrying on with their mission, they find themselves surrounded by colleagues from various countries who are always ready to spread awareness abroad. Besides, Dee shared when she --and anyone in the organization-- needs any advice, she could always come to the CEO, Rachita Sharma. "Here, our mentor is our own CEO." Dee said.

Overall, the supportive and inclusive work environment within Girl Power Talk is --undoubtedly-- the main foundation that helps the organization consistently pursue its own path.

So, readers. Back to my first question. In this job-seeking game, who finds who?

Like Dee said, in the ideal world of women empowerment, "We found each other."