JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—Women who provide most or all of their household income represent a significant part of Indonesia’s workforce. However, many remain without adequate health and employment protection, according to official labor data highlighted in the Indonesia Millennial and Gen Z Report 2027.

Data from Statistics Indonesia’s (BPS) August 2024 National Labor Force Survey, or Sakernas, show that 14.37 percent of all workers in Indonesia were female breadwinners.

BPS defines the term as women who earn the largest income in their household or serve as its only working member.

The figure predates the 2027 report. It first appeared in a BPS analysis based on 2024 survey data. The IDN Research Institute later included the figure in its Indonesia Millennial and Gen Z Report 2027.

Among these women, 47.65 percent supplied between 90 and 100 percent of their household’s total income.

The concentration means that nearly half of Indonesia’s female breadwinners carried almost the entire financial responsibility for their families.

According to BPS, the high dependency of households on women’s income reflects their changing economic roles. Additionally, it highlights the challenges they face.

The findings also challenge the assumption that female breadwinners are predominantly single parents.

BPS found that married women accounted for 51.36 percent of female breadwinners. Household records classified 40.77 percent as “wives” and 39.82 percent as household heads.

The “wife” category describes a person’s relationship to the registered household head. This classification alone does not prove that the government excluded her from assistance.

However, the 2027 report argues that administrative systems centered on the formally registered household head can obscure who actually provides the family’s income.

Employment patterns add another layer of vulnerability. Some 47.53 percent of female breadwinners worked independently or ran businesses with the help of family members or unpaid workers.

These arrangements often lack the benefits attached to formal employment.

BPS data show that 73.42 percent had no health coverage, while 76.94 percent received no work-accident protection.

The first figure refers specifically to health protection, not combined health and life insurance.

Trade employed the largest share of these workers at 23.61 percent. Agriculture accounted for 17.86 percent, while manufacturing employed 17.37 percent.

The findings strengthen calls for public agencies to record the household’s actual principal earner alongside formal family status.

Financial institutions could also design insurance and lending products for workers without fixed salaries. They could do so by using verified transaction histories or flexible contribution schedules.

Women’s income already supports millions of Indonesian households. Policy reform now needs to ensure that administrative recognition and social protection reflect that economic reality.