Building safe spaces to support young women’s participation in local governance in Indonesia

Barriers to young (especially unmarried) women’s participation in public spaces include the prevailing view that doing so violates social norms, young women’s often low level of education, and family expectations. Many young women have internalised their marginalisation and lack the confidence to participate in community forums. This practitioner research, carried out by women’s empowerment organisation FAMM Indonesia, brings the voices of young women into the conversation about the allocation of local government resources and social accountability. The paper describes participatory action research carried out in partnership with eight grassroots Indonesian women’s NGOs. Preliminary focus group discussions laid the foundation for a series of movement-building initiative workshops to strengthen rural young women’s leadership capacity, encourage critical awareness and develop their roles as community organisers.