Gender Mainstreaming at the Parliament

A woman MP and the media.

The simplified definition of gender is the difference between men and women in terms of their roles and responsibilities. It is derived from their socio-cultural context, which makes it a subjective, social construct. In an ideal democracy, the existence of a gender responsive parliament is crucial, and can be promoted through: the deliberation of gender responsive laws, the development of a gender sensitive budget, and the establishment of equitable  men-women representation in parliament.

Parliament  plays an important role in the mainstreaming of gender awareness in Indonesia, because it is the nation’s preeminent public policy and  legislative institution.  A more democratic parliament reflects an ideal governance and public life where there is no discrimination between men and women, the ideal goal on which the Indonesian parliament is leaning towards.

The DPR and DPD RI experienced a significant increase of women members in this period (2009-2014), reaching 18 percent in the DPR and 27 percent in the DPD. Although the numbers are still below the desired 30 percent quota, gender mainstreaming in the parliament has shown some improvements. To further promote gender mainstreaming it is really necessary to have gender responsive policies, which starts at the parliament.

The UNDP Parliamentary Support Programme provides technical support to the Indonesian parliament to promote gender fairness in legislation and budgeting processes, as well as in the House management including the staff recruitment and the code of ethics of the member.