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From a young age, my family insisted that I focus on pursuing my education. I had the privilege to study medicine, graduating as a physician and focusing on research into infectious diseases and genetics. But not every young woman in Indonesia has the same opportunity and privilege.

On an international scale, it is often difficult for women to be involved in science. A recent Unesco survey showed there are seven million researchers worldwide, with women making up only 29 percent of that number.

The percentage varies widely between different regions in the world: From 46 percent in Latin America to as low as 13 percent in India and Japan.

Women pursuing careers in science face challenges everywhere, but it’s especially true in our region.

For most women in Indonesia, it seems like the point of conflict is the choice between pursuing a career and cultural expectations of how women should nurture a family.

An Indonesian woman is expected to dedicate herself to her family, putting its needs and demands above her own.

An Australian National University survey of 1,000 students from seven universities in Jakarta assessed gender expectations for career and family among young Indonesians.

It found that although women were encouraged by both sexes to pursue careers, many believed it should not come at the expense of women’s primary role of taking care of their husband and children.

When asked whether they wished to continue working after marriage, 48 percent of women said yes, while only 15 percent of men said they hoped their wives would.

While it’s a social expectation that men pursue their career — even ahead of family — the same pursuit by Indonesian women is considered egotistical, too ambitious and otherwise undesirable.

The UN Division for the Advancement of Women says that a combination of mentoring, institutional partnerships and financial support can enhance opportunities for women.

Such a model can be observed in the genetic counseling graduate program started in 2006 at Semarang’s Diponegoro University by Sultana MH Faradz, a molecular geneticist.

Most of the teaching staff and 24 of its 30 genetic counselor graduates are women who come from different parts of Indonesia.

With scholarships from the Ministry of National Education, students of the program have been accepted at distinguished university laboratories in the Netherlands, United States, Singapore and Japan to carry out research.

The culture of science and technology has been said to be biased toward men, making the field inhospitable to women.

However, as participation by women in science and technology increases, their representation as leaders, producers, developers and decision makers helps to ensure that the field is designed to reflect the preferences and meet the needs of both sexes.

The expectations of the field are also changing to accommodate women and their unique contributions and approach to science.

The field of medicine is an example. The British National Working Group on Women in Medicine reported that the number of women entering medical school has increased significantly — from 24 percent of all students in the 1960s to 56 percent in 2009.

As the proportion of women in scientific positions increases, the field will change in order to accommodate female researchers and practitioners.

Access to mentoring, career advice, child care, part-time work and flexible training and work patterns may further help women to balance family life and their careers.

Cultures indeed can heavily influence how people perceive women and what they expect from women.

But even in relatively confining circumstances, there are always women who rise to the challenge and stay committed to what they think is necessary to be done as women in science.

Women themselves can also challenge societal norms by showing that they can make important contributions to science in Indonesia.

Women can be agents of change, especially with some help. The government and the private sector can increase women’s participation in science by establishing scholarships.

Educational institutions are crucial to fostering equal opportunities for women to pursue their interest in science. Our leading women in science will eventually pave the way for more to join them.

And it’s about time our society had more hopes for women in science.


Rahajeng N Tunjungputri is a physician and junior researcher at the Center for Tropical and Infectious Diseases (Centrid) at Diponegoro University in Semarang.