Social Enterprise to Empower Women in Indonesia

The next session at COMNEWS 2023 that I’m attending is on social media and activism, and starts with Pierre Mauritz Sundah, whose focus is on independent women in social media. Traditionally, women in Indonesia and elsewhere have often been depicted in stereotypical roles representing household and child-rearing activities, and have therefore not been expected to have high levels of education. Many societal stigmata remain, as a result of the country’s patriarchal culture.

This paper focusses on a community of women weavers in rural Indonesia, who have been empowered by their participation in Du Anyam, a social enterprise aiming to empower them through independent economic activity, to promote their culture, and to improve their livelihoods. The project interviewed these women and observed their activities. It found a division of roles amongst these craftswomen, a fulfilment of their financial, socio-intellectual, and emotional needs through this activity.

This produces better gender equality, empowerment, independence, and autonomy; direct engagement and observation of these practices demonstrates. But further research on a broader range of such projects is required, and access is limited by the costs of doing such in situ research.