Join us at our new series of informal sharing sessions on different topics in Indonesia’s knowledge sector.
Women in The Bureaucracy : Affirmative Action vs a Merit System
Law 5/2014 on Civil Servants (UU ASN) promotes the implementation of a merit-based system for recruitment, career advancement and work coordination in Indonesia’s bureaucracy. Merit systems aim to curb unfair practices such as privileging seniority, favouritism, and negative stereotyping. Ideally, merit systems provide equal opportunities for both women and men in the bureaucracy.
Qualitative research by CWI found that women still face structural barriers to career advancement due to the persisting “double burden” they face both at home and in the workplace.
These research findings indicate the presence of a glass ceiling as an invisible barrier, that is undetected and unrecognized by existing regulations. This situation prompts the question, whether it is time to introduce affirmative action policies in the bureaucracy to ensure equal opportunities for women.
Would affirmative action in the bureaucracy violate the principles of rationality and objectivity that the merit system promotes?
Join the discussion! Register here