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In today’s competitive business landscape, achieving gender equity in the workplace is not just a moral imperative – it’s a strategic necessity.
Our Michael Page Talent Trends 2024: The Expectation Gap Report sheds light on the current state of gender equity in Indonesia’s workplaces, revealing both progress and persistent challenges.
Understanding these insights for hiring managers and leadership teams is crucial for creating more inclusive and equitable work environments that attract top talent and retain top performers.
While the pandemic has transformed workplace dynamics across the Asia Pacific, Indonesia presents a distinct perspective on workplace flexibility. Our Talent Trends 2024 report reveals that, unlike many other markets in APAC, flexible work arrangements rank 10th among factors that attract Indonesian professionals to new roles.
This positioning reflects Indonesia’s unique workplace culture and priorities, where traditional office-based work remains predominant. In Indonesia’s urban environment and tech-savvy workforce, other factors take precedence in job seekers’ considerations.
This context provides an important backdrop for discussions about gender equity in Indonesian workplaces. Gender equity focuses on fairness by providing support based on individual needs, recognising that different genders may have different starting points.
In contrast, workplace gender equality means giving everyone the same rights and opportunities. Both approaches foster gender diversity, with equity ensuring individuals get what they need to succeed.
However, several challenges persist:
As organisations in Indonesia continue to evolve, addressing these fundamental challenges remains crucial for fostering truly inclusive work environments, regardless of working arrangements.
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Our data reveals a nuanced picture of how women feel about workplace gender equity efforts in Indonesia:
Indonesian organisations appear to be making meaningful progress in addressing the gender pay gap, with 45% of women satisfied with their employers’ efforts. The relatively modest dissatisfaction rate (20%) suggests that outright pay inequity may be less prevalent or visible than in some other markets. However, the significant neutral response (32%) indicates room for greater transparency and communication about pay equity initiatives.
The low level of disinterest (3%) is particularly encouraging, suggesting that pay equity remains a relevant and important issue for the vast majority of Indonesian women in the workforce.
These findings point to an opportunity for organisations to build on existing progress by increasing transparency around pay practices and strengthening their commitment to equitable compensation.
Related: The role of salary transparency in reducing workplace inequality
Organisations in Indonesia appear to be achieving considerable success in their women’s equity and inclusion efforts, with nearly six in 10 women (59%) reporting satisfaction. This strong positive sentiment suggests that many Indonesian workplaces have developed effective approaches to fostering gender inclusion and equity.
The combined proportion of neutral (26%) and dissatisfied (12%) responses indicates that while there’s still room for improvement, major barriers to women’s inclusion may be less common than in some other markets. The minimal level of disinterest (3%) is particularly encouraging, suggesting that gender equity remains a relevant and important issue for Indonesian women professionals.
These findings suggest that Indonesian organisations have established a solid foundation for gender equity, though continued attention is needed to address the concerns of those who remain neutral or dissatisfied.
Companies in Indonesia appear to be achieving considerable success in female leadership advancement, with nearly six in 10 women (59%) satisfied with current representation and opportunities. This strong positive sentiment suggests that many Indonesian workplaces have developed effective approaches to promoting women into leadership roles.
While there remains room for improvement, with 38% either neutral (22%) or dissatisfied (16%), these figures are relatively modest compared to many other markets. The minimal level of disinterest (3%) indicates that leadership advancement remains a significant priority for Indonesian women professionals.
These findings suggest that Indonesian organisations have established effective pathways for women’s leadership advancement, though continued attention is needed to address the concerns of those who remain unconvinced by current progress.
Related: Asia's female leaders: How to be more confident at work
Our report also highlights significant differences in how men and women prioritise various Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives:
Indonesian workplace DE&I priorities reveal distinct gender-based perspectives, though with some important overlaps. The shared top priority of age discrimination indicates this is a crucial concern across Indonesian workplaces.
However, subsequent priorities diverge significantly: women focus predominantly on gender-related challenges, while men focus on broader diversity initiatives including racial, ethnic, and disability inclusion.
Also, while both genders include gender equity in their top five priorities, men rank it fifth while women position related issues throughout their top priorities. This difference in prioritisation might suggest an opportunity for more dialogue between genders to align understanding of workplace equity challenges and create more effective, collaborative approaches to addressing them in the Indonesian workplace context.
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While our data reveals differences in how men and women prioritise DE&I initiatives, the findings show that men in Indonesia recognise the importance of gender equity in the workplace, even as they emphasise a broader range of diversity concerns.
Men’s prioritisation of women’s workplace equity in their top five DE&I priorities demonstrates awareness of gender-related challenges. However, their stronger focus on racial, ethnic, and disability inclusion suggests they view workplace equity through a wider lens than their female counterparts, who place greater emphasis on gender-specific issues.
This difference in perspective highlights an opportunity for enhanced dialogue between genders. Given that men often hold positions of influence that can drive significant change in organisational policies and workplace culture, their broader view of diversity could potentially help create more comprehensive and inclusive workplace initiatives.
The key is to maintain men’s engagement with gender equity issues while leveraging their interest in broader diversity initiatives to create workplaces that are truly inclusive for all. This balanced approach could help strengthen both gender-specific and wider diversity initiatives for organisations in Indonesia.
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These findings have several important implications for hiring managers and leadership teams:
Bridging the gender gap in Indonesia’s workplaces is an ongoing process that requires sustained effort and commitment. While progress has been made, our Talent Trends 2024 report clearly shows that there’s still work to be done.
By understanding and addressing women’s perspectives on workplace equity, organisations can create more inclusive environments that attract and retain female talent, foster innovation, and improve overall performance.
The message for hiring managers and leadership teams is clear: prioritising gender equity is not just about meeting DE&I targets but creating a workplace where all employees can thrive, contribute their best, and drive the organisation forward.
Discover the latest in workforce trends in our latest Michael Page Indonesia Talent Trends 2024 report: The Expectation Gap. This survey report findings are based on responses from 12,940 job seekers, employees and employers across Asia Pacific, of which 972 are from Indonesia.
It covers career insights that talent leaders and hiring professionals need to know to attract and retain talent. Also, download our report or use our interactive online tool to gain deeper, up-to-date insights into the current talent market.
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