Increasing the Proportion of Women in the National Parliament: Opportunities, Barriers and Challenges

Throughout Indonesia' history, women have made up only a small proportion of the national parliament. During the New Order period (1966–98), the proportion of women in parliament averaged about 9 per cent, peaking at just over 13 per cent in 1987. The first general election in the post Suharto period was declared free and fair, yet it produced a worrying result for those who had hoped that democracy would bring greater gender justice: the percentage of women elected to the national parliament fell from 10.8 per cent to 8.8 per cent. In 2004 the proportion of women parliamentarians increased to 11.3 per cent, but the magnitude of the increase fell far short of that hoped for by women' groups. In 2009, 17.8 per cent of those elected to the national parliament were female. This represented a historic high for Indonesia, falling just short of the (very low) global average of 18.8 per cent.