The numbers behind gender inequality in Indonesia’s tech sector

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Hello reader,

What’s up top Gs?

I’m just kidding, I don’t actually believe in all that Andrew Tate stuff.

What concerns me, though, is how it seems like there are a substantial number of people who do believe in his extremely toxic mindset toward women.

Yes, those people might just be chronically online Twitter users, but it’s still disheartening to see that there’s a growing segment of disenfranchised guys who turn to male “role models” like Tate and slide further into misogyny.

One could argue that when it comes to matters such as gender equality, it’s not always meant to be so cut and dry – or us versus them.

But in certain cases, it’s evident that more needs to be done to level the playing field – the numbers don’t lie. More specifically, Indonesia’s numbers have revealed a significant gap between men and women in the country’s tech industry.

Today we look at:

• The rampant gender inequality in Indonesia’s tech sector
• A Singaporean firm bagging US$1.65 million
• Other newsy highlights such as Gemini’s new India office and Foodpanda’s partnership with Tada.

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Mind the gap

Image credit: Timmy Loen

The tech industry has long had a gender pay gap, but inequality in the Indonesian market runs deeper. This story lays bare everything bare – from discrepancies in formal workforce participation to the number of women degree holders in tech, among many other data points.

• Transparency with Grab: 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. In particular, women in leadership positions at the company had the highest wage disparity ratio.
• Narrowing it down: In the emerging tech industry, there are four main factors that contribute to gender-based disparities: male domination in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, social norms and gender biases, imposter syndrome and lack of transparency, as well as lack of gender diversity in management.
• Falling behind the region: In the region, Indonesia has the lowest proportion of women working in the tech industry, sitting at around 22%. In contrast, other countries like Thailand (42%), the Philippines (35%) and Singapore (41%), are faring a little better.

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