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Shadine Taufik · · 5 min readGender inequality runs deep in Indonesia’s tech industry
In Indonesia, women earn 23% less than men on average, a 2020 study by the United Nations showed.
This figure aligns with the gender discrepancy in the country’s formal workforce – in 2022, only 35.5% of women are employed in formal sectors, while the figure is 44% for men.
However, more women have taken up skilled jobs in the last decade. As of 2021, almost 50% of professionals are women, up from 48.8% the previous year.
That said, even in a professional space such as the tech industry in Indonesia, women have been dealing with income inequality.
The wage gap in Indonesian tech companies
In Indonesia, female professionals and technicians saw a 33.5% income gap in 2021. These roles saw the second-largest gender pay gap during the year.
On average, female employees with bachelor’s degrees in Indonesia earn 3.7 million rupiah (US$247.9) per month. This is 23% lower than what their male counterparts earn: 5.4 million rupiah (US$361.9) per month.
Fini Margarina, the head of people operations at Grab Indonesia, said wage disparity remains one of the challenges to promoting gender equality in the country, despite the company’s efforts in supporting this cause.
Grab’s 2022 report revealed that the gender wage parity index at the company reached US$0.98 for full-time employees in 14 countries at the end of 2020. This means on average, women at Grab earned US$0.98 to US$1 less than their male counterparts in the same position.
To address this issue, the super app has been implementing the Safe and Respectful Workplace policy “to create an inclusive, friendly, and safe working environment for women,” Margarina tells Tech in Asia.
“This is also supported by the performance evaluation, compensation, and promotion system based on meritocracy for all Grab employees,” she adds.
Grab says it’s striving to encourage women’s participation in corporate governance and business activities that contribute to the welfare of its business partners. Here’s a quick look at the current numbers:
- 50% of Grab Indonesia’s leadership positions are held by women.
- 61% of the firm’s merchant partners are women.
- The company has seen 58% growth in the number of female drivers.
- 60% of female consumers contribute to 70% of overall transactions.
Why is inequality still rampant at tech startups?
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The country’s tech sector sees among the lowest women’s participation rates in Southeast Asia.
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