When Women Talk

Women are naturally different to men since they were born. The most
distinctive thing between them is their powers that generally men are much
stronger than women. This condition is one of several reasons gender
discrimination happens. Women labors at factory is an example of discrimination
often happens, especially in term of wage, chance for promotion and lose their
job after having free days for giving birth. Another case is sexual harassment
that often happens to some of women labors who have night shift work. These
discriminations give some effects towards the women labors. Less productive,
psychological problem and the difficulty of being promote are some examples of
the effects.
The reality of women discrimination at
workplace in Indonesia has been existed since the
old days. Based on Indonesia Centre Statistic
Bureau on 2007, the wage of men labors was
higher than women labors. This unfair situation is
the cause of most women workers lose their
motivation in doing their job perfectly because
they have already known that their wages are less
than what they have done. Unfortunately, this
situation also gives bad effect towards their
chance of promotion. The regression of their
productivity gives bad mark to women labors. The
masters of the factory tend to promote men labors
to avoid the bad risk of promoting bad mark
labors. According to other data of Indonesia Centre
Statistic Bureau, 4.5 million women are graduated
from colleges that close the gap from 4.7 million
men. It proves that women are well educated, but
it does not affect well because only 30% of them
who are accepted working in legal institution. In
the other hand, this rare opportunity sometimes causes good effect to women
workers in motivating them to be better or at least in the same position as men
workers.
By looking back to the reality of women labors, many people pay big
attention to them. Evi Eliyanah, a lecturer of Cross Gender Studies at State
University of Malang, said that basically gender discrimination in Indonesia
happens because of men tend to aspire higher in their career than women.
Culturally women are easily contented with their career achievement. It causes
the minimal number of women workers in
workplace. In other case, Pusfika, a student of
English Department, State University of
Malang, said that gender discrimination is one
of the causes women labors lost their
productivity. It might happen because they
work in worried condition, add Pusfika.
Worried atmosphere can be created if there
were some harassment happened before.
Pusfikas statement is being strengthened by
Dra. Sri Andreani, M.A., a lecturer in English
Department, State University of Malang. She
said, Gender discrimination gives bad effect to

their psychological condition. They do not feel safe and enjoy the job. She also
emphasizes on other professions, such as Indonesia ministers and ambassadors
which are dominated by men. This condition creates uncomfortable atmosphere
to women, as the minority.
Recognizing that women have higher
sensitive feeling than men, in my opinion, gender
discrimination in workplace can cause both
negative and positive effects. Both effects might
happen because of different kind of discriminations,
in bad or good way. Discriminating women in bad
way, such as mocking or sexual harassment, can
cause the women workers loss their self-confident.
Confidence is the main key to be success in carrier.
If they lose it, they will lose forever because it is
hard to make up self-confident quickly. Otherwise if
other workers discriminate them in good way,
based on women nature, such as let them have
free days for giving birth, will help women to relieve the pain. This special
treatment can evoke their spirit during working and they are motivated to work
better. A note for this case is those women workers are still having their job after
giving birth, remembering that most factories will replace women labors job by
others after having long free days.
Women discrimination in workplace is common happen in daily life, but
only a few people realize and take deep attention towards it. The bad effects are
much more than the positives, such as lose their self-confident, less productive
and the difficulty of being promote. Some women workers are fighting for finding
their equality in workplace. Let women talk and prove that they deserve to have
the same treatment in workplace.
Written by: Intan Kusumawardhani