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When it comes to the fight for women's equality in Indonesia, the name Raden Ajeng Kartini always comes to mind. Her thoughts and struggles in the past have inspired modern women in Indonesia to fight stereotypes and discrimination in all areas of life, including the workplace.
Nowadays, women can be seen in a range of high profile leadership positions. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, for example, was named as the first female Minister of Finance in Indonesia’s history, and won the best Minister of Finance in the world title last year for her outstanding fiscal management during the current pandemic. Similarly, Najwa Shihab, has become arguably one of Indonesia’s most respected female journalists today.
At a global level, Kamala Harris has made history as the first woman and woman of color to become the US Vice President. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand has been praised globally for her leadership in in managing the Covid-19 pandemic in her country.
Despite these positive role models, progress towards gender equality is far from complete. Based on last year’s Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data, there is an imbalance in the Labor Force Participation Rate (TPAK) in Indonesia - 53.13% for women and 82.41% for men.
According to research done by McKnsey in 2018, Indonesia can add $135 billion to its annual gross domestic product by 2025 if the country can improve gender equality in the workplace by 56%.
There are still many cases where women are forced to leave work due to the requirements of parenting. In addition, women in Indonesia earn less on average per month than men as the gender pay gap still stands at nearly 23%.
Celebrated every April 21, Kartini Day is a moment for us to think how we much further can we go to challenge inequality.
To address the issue of inequality and in alignment with its commitment to be an equal opportunity employer, APRIL is promoting equal opportunities and participation for its female employees. Moreover, as a company that supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), APRIL seeks to ensure full and effective participation of women employees.
In the next section, you will find three female leaders at APRIL, E-commerce & Marketing Manager Patricia Dharmawan, Corporate Legal Manager Astiyanty, and Talent Acquisition Margareta Herawan, sharing their passion and insights on how to challenge the stigma and barriers women face in the workplace.
Read more: Celebrating Kartini’s Day: Revisiting Gender Equality Challenges
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The pandemic has severely disrupted global tourism. It's time to embrace sustainable tourism development.
When the world went into lockdown in March 2020, some of the most striking images shared on social media were those of empty airport lounges and unused planes idly parked under bright blue skies. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals dropped around 74 percent in 2020 from the previous year, which peaked at 1.5 billion. In effect, the world's fastest-growing economic sector was put to a halt by covid-19. For many developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, where tourism is a major source of income, the impact has been devastating.
Perhaps no other island in Indonesia is more prominent than Bali when it comes to global tourism. In 2020, Bali witnessed an 85 percent drop in visitors. Hotels, restaurants, and attractions were forced to shut their doors. With the tourism sector representing 80 percent of the island’s economy, residents struggled to make ends meet. Many ex-hotel workers went back to their villages, tilling their land for agriculture or going back to seaweed farming. Then, the question arises: Has Bali become unsustainable?
Read more: Transforming Tourism: For A Sustainable and Resilient Future
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We can choose all kinds of food to satisfy our hunger and excite our taste buds, but which ones are actually good for us and the environment?
In the midst of the pandemic, we ought to be extra careful in choosing the foods we consume; and plant-based foods may be the answer we’re looking for. Aside from the nutritious facts that plant-based foods lowers the risk of heart disease, these particular foods are also known to be more environmentally friendly and therefore, more sustainable.
As the term suggests, plant-based foods focus on ingredients primarily sourced from plants, ie fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, whole grains and oil.
Contrary to popular belief, however, those who incorporate plant-based foods in their diets are not necessarily completely averse to meat products; instead, they simply increase the portion of plant-based meals served on their plates. Nevertheless, increased exposure to plant-based meals often leads to a significant change in one’s general diet.
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It’s a day to be happy! The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed March 20 as the International Day of Happiness to recognize the importance of three key aspects that will lead to human well-being and happiness: reducing inequality, ending poverty, and protecting our planet.
For APRIL, happy employees are crucial to our business. Celebrating this day, we spoke to five of our employees to learn how they find happiness at APRIL.