Indonesia, a good student of gender equality, but can do better. Since the fall of the Indonesian authoritarian regime of Suharto 24 years ago, Indonesia has experienced real progress towards equality between men and women.
But progress is uneven, in light of the incredible cultural diversity of this archipelago, the largest in the world, made up of nearly 18,000 islands. In Indonesian culture, a complex mix of ancient Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms with Islam and indigenous customs, women are mothers and wives.