Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Manpower Minister Yassierli has called on women to become the main drivers of workplace transformation amid the rapid development of digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI), the green transition, and demographic changes.”Gender equality in the workplace is not merely about providing equal opportunities. It is about ensuring that women have access to skills development, safe jobs, adequate protection, and room to grow,” he said in a statement on Thursday.According to the minister, gender inequality in the workplace remains rooted in cultural factors, including social norms, stereotypes, and perceptions that certain jobs are suitable only for men or women.Women also continue to shoulder a disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work, while facing wage gaps, limited access to leadership positions, and workplace violence and harassment, he added.Yassierli said technological advances could create more flexible employment opportunities for women, but they could also widen existing disparities if digital literacy and protection against online violence are not strengthened.To ensure women become not only users of technology but also creators and innovators, he stressed the importance of access to digital and financial literacy, science and technology education, vocational training, reskilling programs, and lifelong learning.Such empowerment, he added, would enable women to become developers, entrepreneurs, and economic drivers for their families and communities.Yassierli said the government's commitment to strengthening women's protection is reflected in its ratification of ILO Convention No. 100 on Equal Remuneration and ILO Convention No. 111 concerning Discrimination in Employment and Occupation.The Indonesian government has also issued Manpower Ministerial Decree No. 88 of 2023 on guidelines for preventing and handling workplace sexual harassment and is implementing Law No. 4 of 2024 on Maternal and Child Welfare during the First 1,000 Days of Life.Meanwhile, the ministry's Director General for Industrial Relations and Social Security, Indah Anggoro Putri, emphasized that gender equality must be reflected in everyday industrial relations practices.”Women must have a safe, equal, and dignified space at work,” she said.She added that this can only be achieved through strong social dialogue among the government, employers, and workers to ensure gender equality policies are effectively implemented in daily working life.