Exploring the Potential of the Prakerja Digital Training Programme As a Social Justice Strategy for Women Entrepreneurs in Indonesia

Despite the increase in Indonesian women entrepreneurs, persistent gender inequality is evident in the lower sales and profits generated by women-owned enterprises compared to those owned by men. Although not specifically tailored to women, one governmental initiative, Kartu Prakerja [literally “pre-employment card”], aimed to increase access to training and enhance entrepreneurial skills. Launched in April 2020, this digital training programme was a strategic effort to address gender inequality in business ownership in Indonesia. The article explores the social justice potential of Prakerja to assist women entrepreneurs by providing redistributive justice, recognitive justice and representational justice: the three dimensions of social justice identified by Nancy Fraser. The study applied a multi-stage critical document analysis to materials published between 2020 and 2024. While the authors found that Prakerja could be considered a social justice strategy for women entrepreneurs, their analysis also suggests that the outcomes could have been further improved through consideration of intentional design across all three social justice dimensions. Redistributive justice was advanced by Prakerja being cost-free and accessible, but concerns arose regarding underprivileged women’s access to technology. In terms of recognitive justice, the programme accommodated women’s family responsibilities and need for flexible home-based programmes. However, there was room for improvement regarding the entrance test, using local languages, and making the curriculum more gender-affirming. Representational justice was provided by acknowledging diverse choices and facilitating participant voices, but more could have been done to enhance women’s contribution to discussion forums and involve them as both participants and instructors in Prakerja. The article concludes by suggesting areas for future research in this context.