Kartini Day Amid Covid-19

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Raden Ajeng Kartini poster painted on the wall of the house on Jalan Halim Perdana Kusuma, Tangerang City, Sunday (12/4/2020). Kartini is known as a pioneer of women\'s emancipation in Indonesia, especially fighting for the right to education for women. April 21 is celebrated as Kartini Day.

Kartini Day on April 21 this year should be used as a moment to look at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women.

Kartini Day is usually commemorated to view the position of women in the family, community and society, besides also remembering Raden Ajeng Kartini, who wanted women to have economic independence in equality.

Since Kartini fought for equal rights for women, much progress has been made by women. We have women presidents, women ministers in important and strategic posts and women as heads of legislative bodies. There are no less women doctors and nurses and they are involved in the fight against Covid-19.

However, there are still many women who have difficulty meeting their daily basic needs. The Covid-19 pandemic makes life more difficult for them even though Covid-19 does not recognize gender.

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The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) said that monitoring for the first 100 days since the first Covid-19 case was announced on Dec. 31 2019 shows an increase in gender inequality and social norm discrimination in all Asia Pacific countries, including Indonesia, which has occurred since before the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. This imbalance makes the impacts of Covid-19 more severe for women and girls compared to men and boys. This imbalance affects the resilience of women and girls in mitigating the effects of the pandemic.

From the economic side, for example, women work in the worst hit production sectors. These sectors includes manufacturing, textiles and garments, tourism and related industries, ranging from food to handicrafts.

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KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Sand mining women workers carry baskets of sand that they mine in the Grawah River, Cabean Village, Cepogo, Boyolali, Central Java, Saturday (20/4/2019). They get a wage of Rp. 700 from each sand basket they carry from the bottom of the river to a shelter about 800 meters away.

Women who act as heads of households at the grassroots level are economically very vulnerable and at risk to domestic violence. They generally work in the agriculture, trade and microbusiness sectors. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) said women account for 16 percent of the country’s heads of households. Other data puts this number at 25 percent when factoring in women who are the main breadwinners.

Women who are the main caretakers of households also have additional burdens. The responsibility for taking care of sick children, parents and family members is borne by women. If they also earn a living, the burdens multiply.

The government has launched a safety net program that provides social assistance to poor and vulnerable families.

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The use of village funds and labor-intensive programs to help reduce the impact of Covid-19 must involve women in the decision making. While commemorating Kartini\'s struggle, we want the central government and regional administrations to realize that handling non-natural disasters should not assume there is no discrimination.