Society

More female candidates won’t mean more women in parliament

The urban poor and workers unions are looking to local government to improve their lot

Premarital sex must be acknowledged as unavoidable, to end a vicious cycle of lost potential

Kemampuan media sosial untuk mencabut stigma seputar bunuh diri masih belum digunakan sepenuhnya

A ‘waria’ version of the traditional flag ceremony celebrates both nationhood and diversity

Voices From Greater Jakarta

Australia/ Indonesia | 2018 | Colour | All Ages | 10:00 | Documentary | Producers: Iwu D. Utomo, Ariane J. Utomo, Peter McDonald

As the election year unfolds, Indonesians are being reminded frequently of the tremendous ‘power’ of the young generation. But who are the so-called millennial voters, and do politicians have a good grasp of what the most pertinent issues are that they face in their everyday lives?

According to media coverage, some of these candidates would have us believe that the average millennial voter in Indonesia is an upper middle class city-dwelling tertiary graduate (most likely living in Jakarta); looking for work with a relatively high starting salary in the creative or digital sector; changing jobs every year because they want to travel; and spending their days leisurely sipping an artisan latte in an instagrammable café, daydreaming about running the Tokyo marathon as they swipe their phone.

Nothing could be further from reality. While this millennial lifestyle may apply to a very select group, it does not represent everyday realities for the vast majority. According to a new longitudinal study, it is not even true for many millennials in metropolitan Jakarta where the average level of education among young adults is the highest in Indonesia.

In 2009, a team of Indonesian and Australian researchers began a large study of young adults in Jakarta, Bekasi and Tangerang, otherwise known as the Greater Jakarta region. The study sought to understand their experiences of transitioning into adulthood. According to the 2010 Indonesian Population Census, there were about 61 million people aged 20 to 34 in Indonesia that year. With marked achievements in literacy and education relative to the older generation, this large cohort of young adults was poised to bring about the country’s so-called demographic bonus.

Misinformation and lack of opportunity form disproportionate barriers for rural youth looking for work

Flores youth migrate for education, but are their university degrees worth the investment?

Irreligious youth are looking for their place in religious Indonesia

Social media’s ability to help cut through stigma and misinformation on suicide is being underutilised

Indonesia’s children wrongly imprisoned in Australia still haven’t been compensated

Young women farmers in Java and Flores find themselves on the lower rungs of multiple ladders

Lessons and beliefs on inter-religious mixing can get messy for youth in Manado

Drawing upon the Theatre of the Oppressed, villagers with disabilities have an opportunity to express themselves

Walking Jakarta’s northern coastline reveals communities experiencing disruptive and rapid change

Palu after the tsunami

A change in Australia’s asylum policy has denied refugees in Indonesia vital support

Masykuri Bakri doesn’t fit the stereotype for a moderate Muslim leader

Banda Aceh’s anti-tobacco efforts are unfairly focused on women smokers