Women’s Roles in the Indonesian Economy during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

This Survey discusses the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the livelihood of Indonesian women. The pandemic has disproportionately affected women around the world, including in Indonesia, owing to gender inequalities at work and at home. Women bear most of the burden of unpaid domestic work and care for families. The pandemic has also forced adjustments in labour utilisation, and the movement of workers from formal to informal sectors. However, it has created new opportunities, including for micro, small and medium enterprises that harness digitalisation, although the sustainability of these opportunities for women is still too early to assess, owing to the persistent gender divide in Indonesia’s digital economy. The possible long-term mental health effects of the pandemic are also something to watch.