PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Henry Herrera
Phone: +1-301-801-0608
Email: info@menandboys.net
Indonesia Confronts a Widening Divide Affecting Its Men and Boys
November 21, 2025 – Indonesia’s national statistics reveal widening disparities affecting men and boys, but public attention remains limited even as the data grows increasingly clear.
Education:
Educational trends show boys and young men falling behind. Women make up 49.9% of tertiary enrollment compared to just 40.1% for men (1), reflected in a female-to-male ratio of 1.20 (2). These disparities start early: 16.27% of boys are out of elementary school versus 9.89% of girls, a gap linked in part to pressures related to child labor (3). Taken together, these indicators reveal a consistent pattern of disadvantage for males in the education system.
Health:
Consistent with worldwide trends, Indonesian men die younger than women. Life expectancy reveals that men live 69 years compared to 73 years for women (4)(5). Adult mortality follows the same pattern: 189.3 deaths per 1,000 men versus 137.9 per 1,000 women (6).
Child Labor:
Boys are more likely to be involved in child labor, representing 54.13% of working children compared to 45.87% girls (3).
Homicide:
Men face substantially higher rates of lethal violence. The homicide rate for men is 0.42 per 100,000—nearly triple the rate for women at 0.15 (7).
Suicide:
Suicide data likewise show elevated risk among men, at 1.5 deaths per 100,000 compared to 0.9 among women (8)(9).
Workplace:
Workplace injury patterns mirror global trends. Men account for 75.2% of recorded workplace accidents, while women account for 24.8% (10).
Conclusion:
We urge Policymakers and institutions to acknowledge these disparities and act decisively to ensure equitable support for both genders.
The International Council for Men and Boys is a non-governmental organization that is working to celebrate the contributions of men to society and to end the 12 sex disparities that affect men and boys around the world. Achieving #GenderEqualityForMen will also benefit women.
https://www.menandboys.net/
Links:
1.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/se-ter-enrr
2.https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Indonesia/Female_to_male_ratio_students_tertiary_level_educa/
3.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BZXP5r7b-cy3gknI0NqBb2A2N5CkvUfm/view?usp=sharing
4.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.MA.IN
5.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN
6.https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-dyn-amrt?gender=male
7.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_statistics_by_gender
8.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.FE.P5?locations=ID
9.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.SUIC.MA.P5?locations=ID
10.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q4R52iQSDfYOyamZL3ZkR7HzmElglcO-/view?usp=sharing