Group member : Jessica Jovita & Eunike Elysia Mori Sinisuka

Grade : XI.3

Topic : Gender Inequality

Unveiling and Realizing Gender Inequality in the Indonesian Society

Did you know that Indonesia is ranked 87th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender
Gap score in 2023? Quoted from UNICEF's glossary of terms and concepts, a Gender Gap is
a disproportionate difference between men and women, particularly as reflected in the
attainment of development goals, access to resources, and levels of participation. A gender
gap indicates gender inequality. Meanwhile, gender inequality means the unequal treatment
of a gender, causing one gender to be privileged or prioritized over another. In Indonesia,
women's and men's roles are "dictated” and restricted by gender norms. In this essay, we will
explore how patriarchy and gender stereotypes are applied in Indonesia, how toxic
masculinity affects the society, and how harassment situation is in Indonesia. Now that we’ve
established the scope of our essay, let's dive into the specifics. First, let’s explore about how
patriarchy became so normalized in Indonesia.

Patriarchy, in simple terms, is a male-dominated social structure. Most of the societies

in Indonesia are still dominated by this structure. In this hierarchical structure, women often
find themselves having unequal treatment, and in a defined gender role due to this gender
norm. This causes the application of gender stereotypes. When men are expected to be more
superior and capable, women are expected to be less superior. This is a generalized view
about characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by either men or women. This could be
something positive, such as "women are nurturing" or negative such as "men shouldn't show
emotions" and so on. The presence of gender stereotypes often puts a wall on both women
and men to realize their true potential.

The idea of gender stereotypes, characteristics that ought to be possessed by a

particular gender, is usually the "mastermind" of a lot of complications. While gender
discrimination is often directed towards women, in another view, toxic masculinity is a thing
that most people haven't realized. The expectations from society towards men, such as being
the head, the decision maker, and expected to be more dominant in almost every aspect,
sometimes bring pressure and burden to men just by carrying these responsibilities. Men who
have been influenced by toxic masculinity, are more likely to believe that they are entitled to
women’s bodies, leading to sexual harassment and disrespectful comments towards a certain
gender.

Women were the most common to experience sexual harassment in 2023. Until the
end of the year on December 31, 2023, there were as many as 3,000 cases of sexual
harassment in Indonesia. Sexual harassment can occur because the social environment is bad.
For example, , when a child is still innocent, and easily influenced, it could cause the
perpetrator to have desires and have opportunity to carry out the harassment. A common
event that usually occurs in Indonesia is sometimes passing by a place where many builders
like to be called or shouted at a passing female pedestrian. it's verbal harassment and it's very
disturbing when pedestrians are shouted at or called by those who think it's a joke.

Therefore, we can conclude that gender inequality in Indonesia is still ongoing right
now. It is necessary and important to understand the values of each gender. The development
of gender inequality could eventually rise as not many people in Indonesia are aware of it.
Spreading awareness could potentially make people realize the inportance of gender equality.