Representative Bureaucracy: Challenges and Opportunities in Promoting Equality within Senior Executive Positions in Government Ministries

This publication is a summary of a research report on representative bureaucracy by Cakra Wikara Indonesia (CWI). The full report is in Indonesian language and has been published as a book titled Birokrasi Representatif: Tantangan dan Peluang Membangun Kesetaraan pada Jabatan Pimpinan Tinggi Kementerian. Link to the book can be found here.

The research was conducted by CWI between 2017 to 2021. This research shows that the filling of Senior Executive Positions (JPT) with merit system overlooks the invisible barriers faced by female State Civil Apparatus (ASN). Female ASN do not find it difficult to achieve the standards of qualification and competency to reach JPT positions. Moreover, in several government ministries they are formally recognized for their excellent work performance. The problems for women in climbing the career ladder in the bureaucracy is hidden in the private sphere. Meanwhile, data from 34 government ministries in 2014-2020 shows that there are several ministries whose percentage of women in JPT is above the national average percentage (19.06%). The compelling fact is that there are several ministries that attain an adequate representation of women in JPT. In this context, CWI seeks to dig deeper into the experiences of women who have successfully occupied high leadership positions and what are identified as challenges and opportunities for the career advancement of female ASN. Furthermore, this research also aims to see the impacts of having women representation in JPT on the internal governance of government ministries.