BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 5

Indonesia has made gender equality an increasingly important part of its national development agenda. The country has introduced policies to strengthen women’s participation in political and economic life and has incorporated gender equality into its national sustainable development framework.

Women’s participation in education and the labour market has increased, while measures such as gender quotas have contributed to greater female representation in political institutions. Indonesia has also strengthened policies addressing violence against women and the protection of women and girls.

Nevertheless, significant inequalities remain. Women face lower labour-force participation than men, limited representation in senior positions, and a disproportionate share of unpaid care work. Child marriage and gender-based violence also remain important challenges, particularly in some regions and communities.

CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Women’s economic participation is a central issue. The gap between male and female labour-force participation remains substantial, while women are more likely to work in informal or vulnerable employment. Care responsibilities can further restrict women’s access to stable employment and career advancement.

Political representation has improved but remains limited. Indonesia has introduced electoral gender quotas to increase women’s participation, yet women continue to hold a minority of seats in national political institutions. The effectiveness of these measures and the barriers to women’s political leadership remain relevant issues.

Child marriage and gender-based violence are also significant concerns. Although Indonesia has raised the minimum legal age of marriage for women to 19, early marriage continues to occur, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Violence against women remains another important challenge, requiring effective prevention, protection, and access to justice.

LIST OF REFERENCES

Komnas HAM. (2017). Analytical framework for linking Sustainable Development Goals with human rights obligations in Indonesia: Goal 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

The Borgen Project. (2026, September 4). Indonesia’s SDG 5 in Java.

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). Indonesia. United Nations Human Rights Office.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). Indonesia. OECD.

Sustainable Development Solutions Network. (n.d.). Indonesia: Sustainable Development Report. Sustainable Development Report.

United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender equality. United Nations in Indonesia.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). SDG indicators: Indonesia country profile. United Nations.

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Indonesia: Human Development Report data. Human Development Reports.

UN Women. (n.d.). Indonesia country data. UN Women Data Hub.

UN Women. (n.d.). Indonesia. UN Women Asia-Pacific.

USEFUL LINKS

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://sdg.komnasham.go.id/sdg-content/uploads/2017/04/Goal-5.pdf 

  • https://borgenproject.org/indonesias-sdg-5-in-java/ 

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

  • UN: https://indonesia.un.org/en/sdgs/5/progress 

  • UNPD:https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data?/countries/IDN 

  • OECD: https://www.oecd.org/en/countries/indonesia.html 

  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/idn 

  • UN human rights:https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/indonesia 

  • Index: https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/indonesia/ 

  • UN WOMEN count: https://data.unwomen.org/country/indonesia 

  • UN women: https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/indonesia