Women entrepreneurs need to become technologically literate to compete amid the pandemic, assistant deputy for gender equality policy formulation at the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Muhammad Ihsan, has said.

“They need to adapt by using information technology so that they can increase their capacity and are ready to compete, even in this pandemic situation,” he explained at a webinar entitled ‘The Role of Women in the Pandemic Period’, which was accessed from here on Thursday.

According to Ihsan, the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gender equality gap.

The pandemic, which has lasted for around 1.5 years, has had a negative impact on women: for example, it has increased the domestic burden on women, led to a rise in the number of domestic violence cases, layoffs, and divorce rates, and a decrease in family incomes, especially for women entrepreneurs, he noted.

“This more or less interferes with the development of gender equality and women’s empowerment,” he said.

The PPPA Ministry has made efforts to overcome this by assisting women entrepreneurs, especially women from vulnerable groups, through online training on entrepreneurship, Ihsan said.

Women from vulnerable groups include family heads, survivors of disasters, and survivors of violence, he added.

“Dissemination and assistance to women entrepreneurs, especially women from vulnerable groups, is being done by providing online training assistance on entrepreneurship,” he said.

The ministry’s efforts are aimed at emphasizing the importance of the role of women during the pandemic, especially in rebuilding the society, he added.

To provide the training, the PPPA Ministry is collaborating with the Indonesian Women Entrepreneurs Association (IWAPI) community group and marketplace, he said.

Source: Antara News