Politician and women’s activist Yenny Wahid emphasizes removing gender labels in women’s leadership. According to her, it is essential to see leaders as leaders, regardless of whether they are male or female.
“So, if someone calls me a female leader, I kind of object. Just call me a leader, no need to add the word female. Male leaders are never labeled with gender,” she said at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol) on Friday (7/7) while speaking at the Fisipol Leadership Forum titled Woman Political Leadership: To Unite What Male Politicians Have Divided.
Recognizing that gender bias still exists, Yenny hopes everyone can normalize gender equality and practice it daily. However, she admits there are still differences between women and men in leadership.
One of the differences, according to her, is that female leaders prioritize building consensus and harmony, so when they hold strategic positions, female leaders strive to find common ground.
“In addition, women’s leadership in politics is important because only women can and are willing to fight for issues that are important to women themselves,” she said.
On this occasion, Yenny Wahid also shared her experience implementing the Peace Village program by the Wahid Foundation, which focuses on advocating and empowering rural communities, particularly women in the villages.
The Election Corner of Fisipol organized the Fisipol Leadership Forum. In addition to featuring a politician and activist, Zannuba Ariffah Chafsoh, affectionately known as Yenny Wahid, the public dialogue also invited two respondents, namely sociology lecturer Desintha Dwi Asriani and Fisipol student council leader Maskana Putri Salwa, while Obed Kresna (Program Manager of PARES Indonesia) led the discussion.
The faculty’s dean, Dr. Wawan Mas’udi, stated that the Fisipol Leadership Forum (FLF) is a platform to present figures with solid ideas and leadership. This forum aims to disseminate leadership ideas and experiences to all students and the academic community.
The forum is expected to function as a discussion platform that addresses substantive election issues rather than procedural ones by attempting to examine fundamental problems that need to be discussed. Election Corner is a democracy-strengthening program, both within the electoral scope and in a broader sense.
“Election Corner will run for multiple years until 2024 and beyond, with several areas of coverage including civic education and electoral education, Fisipol Leadership Forum (FLF), candidate program analysis, electoral organizer performance, and other relevant themes,” he said.
Desintha Dwi Asriani reflected on the importance of undoing gender, especially when women want to hold strategic positions in public office. According to her, women’s leadership in facing crises and disasters has been historically proven in human history.
She also emphasized the importance of awareness of woman empowerment not only by women but also by the surrounding community. Efforts are needed to encourage society’s acceptance of woman’s empowerment, which will lead to the success of women as political leaders in Indonesia.
Maskana Putri Salwa, as a representative of young people, spoke about the difficulties women face internally, such as women’s self-doubt in their abilities and what they can achieve, and externally, such as societal stigma that confines women to domestic roles.
Author: Agung Nugroho