Kartini's legacy 102 years on

On 21 April Indonesians celebrated Kartini Day. This recalls the brief life of Javanese emancipist Raden Ajeng Kartini who campaigned for women to be educated and independent. She died in 1904 aged 25.

How great a difference did Kartini make?

Compared to their Middle East sisters, Indonesian women are liberated. The nation's fifth president was a woman.  There are women in high places in government and business, though not many. Only eight per cent of legislators are women.

To the average hail-and-farewell visitor who just notes dress and public behavior, females seem as free as in the West. But try looking deeper.

A good place to start is newspaper WANTED columns for sales and administration. The requirements are specific:  Good command of English and maybe Mandarin, a degree from a top university and experience.

Plus something extra not seen in Western countries where discrimination is illegal: Must be under 25 and attractive. Photo required.

So however incandescent your intellect and diligent your record, if you're blemished by acne or past the quarter century don't bother applying.

The visible workforce in the flash offices is overwhelmingly female and young. Older women survive only in the government or in backroom jobs. Being unmarried and over 30 is a single-life sentence; if unemployed, prospects are minimal.

The demand for secretarial jobs is huge; some of the best and brightest from prestigious tertiary institutions are rotting behind reception desks and customer service counters across the archipelago.

They may be polymaths outside but in the workplace their greatest challenge is serving tea without spilling. Their role is decorative and subservient. 

They're employed as eye candy for the men who come to do business with their boss.They make his coffee, order the cakes for his meetings and buy his cigarettes - often with their own money.

They are not expected to contribute ideas or opinions; that's a male domain. The only power they exercise is the photocopier switch.