Indonesia's had gender quotas in parliament for years - why aren't they working?

Indonesians go to the polls on Wednesday. Here, female candidates tell us why representation matters and how Islam plays a role in women running for office.

Indonesian election — Indonesians in Bali check the name lists of parliamentary candidates at a polling station before the start of voting for presidential and legislative elections Source: AAP Image/ AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati

1 min read

Published 17 April 2019 11:55am

Updated 20 April 2019 3:03pm

Source: SBS News

Skip to article content

Share this with family and friends

From her home in Jakarta, Permaswari Wardani proudly holds up an intricate hand-drawn comic.

It’s her humorous take on what she sees as the wrongs in Indonesian politics today.

The 38-year-old architect hopes the run of 5,000 copies – leading to donations – will help propel her to an upper house seat in her country’s parliament, within the week.

She’s running for the PSI, or Indonesian Solidarity Party, a young party focusing on women’s rights.

Indonesia's had gender quotas in parliament for years - why aren't they working?

Indonesians go to the polls on Wednesday. Here, female candidates tell us why representation matters and how Islam plays a role in women running for office.

Follow SBS Indonesian on Facebook and Twitter, and listen to our podcasts.

Follow SBS Indonesian

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Watch on SBS