The heavy burden of unpaid work ranging from domestic chores to childcare supervision remains a significant barrier to Indonesian women’s participation in the labor market. This issue was highlighted in a workshop organized by the Microeconomics Dashboard (MicDash) research cluster at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FEB UGM), titled “Trade-offs Between Paid and Unpaid Work in Indonesia: Does Agency Matter?”
The workshop presented findings from a collaborative study involving Prospera, Universitas Indonesia, and Macalester College, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women. The research emphasizes how unpaid work limits women’s opportunities to enter and remain in paid employment, despite their rising educational attainment. These findings reaffirm that the stagnation of Indonesia’s Female Labor Force Participation Rate (FLFP) over the past two decades is not merely a matter of education or skills, but also reflects structural dynamics within households.
The presentation was delivered by Diahhadi Setyonaluri, Ph.D., from the Institute of Demography, FEB Universitas Indonesia, based on a pilot survey conducted in Greater Jakarta and Surabaya. The survey involved 902 respondents from 451 households and focused on time use, the division of domestic labor, and household decision-making dynamics.
Researchers emphasized that unequal domestic workloads are a key factor behind women’s low labor force participation. Survey data show that nearly 40 percent of women spend more than eight hours per day on domestic work and caregiving, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, and supervising children. In contrast, nearly 40 percent of men spend less than one hour per day on similar activities, highlighting a significant gender gap in domestic responsibilities.
Among various forms of unpaid work, domestic tasks account for the largest share of women’s time burden. However, the study found that supervisory care monitoring children has the most substantial negative impact on women’s likelihood of engaging in paid work. Although often perceived as less demanding, supervisory care requires constant availability, limiting women’s time flexibility and ability to pursue employment.
Beyond documenting the division of domestic labor, the research also explored the concept of agency, defined as an individual’s ability to determine how they use their time. The findings reveal a paradox: women demonstrate greater agency than men in deciding how much time to allocate to domestic work and caregiving, yet have significantly less agency in decisions about paid employment and earning income. In the Indonesian social context, women often have authority over domestic responsibilities because society assigns these roles to them. However, this authority does not translate into equal freedom in making employment decisions.
The study further reinforced these findings through a field experiment. Respondents imagined being offered an eight-hour job-training opportunity on a weekday, with childcare provided, but they would not be allowed to bring their children. They had to say how many hours they would be willing to attend. Their responses were then compared with their partners’ perspectives under three scenarios: shared openly, negotiated jointly, and submitted privately without the partner’s knowledge.
The experiment showed that communication and negotiation within households play a crucial role. Among women in rural areas, negotiation increased their willingness to participate in longer training hours, as they felt more supported and able to express their interests. In contrast, for some rural men, negotiation widened the gap between personal preferences and their partners’ expectations, reflecting persistent gender norms regarding domestic and paid work roles.
Researchers concluded that unpaid work, particularly domestic tasks and supervisory childcare, has a strong negative association with women’s labor force participation. Each additional hour spent supervising children can reduce a woman’s probability of working by more than six percent. Moreover, higher agency in domestic responsibilities does not automatically grant women greater control over decisions related to paid employment.
The research team found that women’s opportunities to enter the workforce could improve if communication and mutual support within households increased. Healthy negotiation between partners can reduce perception gaps and help women gain the space needed to pursue personal and professional development.
Reported by: Orie Priscylla Mapeda Lumalan
Editor: Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
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