Women’s representation and government welfare spending in Indonesia 1970—2020

Abstract

Women’s participation in decision-making process is imperative in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), as their representation will improve the quality of development in the society. Cross-national studies suggest that the number of women in parliament and in the labor-force are closely associated with higher government spending on education and health. Other studies highlight the correlation between women’s share in parliament with better economic performance measured by GDP per capita. Using a unique dataset for the years spanning from 1970 to 2020, this paper aims to unpack the experience in Indonesia, an emerging economy in Asia with a relatively stable democracy. The findings suggest that women’s presence in the national parliament correlates strongly positive with higher GDP. Also, with a weaker correlation, more women elected as legislator, bigger fiscal allocation by the government for education and health. On the other hand, the impact of women’s participation in the labor force has less significant connection with government welfare spending in Indonesia.