Seriously! Sri Mulyani Says World GDP Drops 1 Trillion US Dollars If The Impact Of The Pandemic On Women Is Not Overcome

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Finance)

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani said that the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous negative impact on all levels of society, including greater implications for women.

According to the Minister of Finance, based on a McKinsey Global Institute study, it is stated that the world's gross domestic product (GDP) is certain to fall if women's productivity continues to be affected by the pandemic.

"Global GDP will fall by 1 trillion US dollars if the negative impacts received by women from the pandemic are not addressed immediately," he said in a press statement on Monday, June 20.

The Minister of Finance added that increasing equality, investing in education, family planning, maternal health, digital and financial inclusion, as well as improving the burden on women will be able to increase world GDP by around 13 trillion US dollars.

“Currently women make up about 53.3 percent of the Indonesian workforce, bigger than men. However, the majority of women work in the informal sector,” he said.

Furthermore, the state treasurer also revealed that the financial inclusion of Indonesian women is still relatively low.

"The government realizes that financial equality is very important, not only for economic opportunities but this also has implications for efforts to reduce poverty," he said.

The Minister of Finance explained that digital financial inclusion provides a very credible way to get out of poverty and is an important step in implementing the national development agenda.

"Moreover, what President Joko Widodo now wants to achieve is the eradication of absolute poverty in Indonesia by 2024. In this context, women have a very important role," he stressed.

The Minister of Finance sees that women are important key agents in the economy. He also continues to pay attention to programs that can help women, especially the MSME sector, which can provide opportunities for women to advance.