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Spouse-friendly policy to encourage spouses to accompany the diplomats abroad in inventing the well-being of the Diplomats’ families: A gender mainstreaming implementation for the better Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Social shifting in the 21st century and the emergence of Generation Z brought changes in the attitude of diplomats and their spouses, who desire recognition of personal achievement and freedom of self-actualization. Meanwhile, economic challenges make the spouses feel more insecure about leaving their jobs and careers to accompany their diplomatic partners abroad.

The absence of the diplomat's spouses and families abroad can affect the outcome of the Indonesian government's diplomacy in the destination country. The presence of a spouse as a companion abroad could inspire the diplomats’ professional decisions and their existence in the international community. Not to mention, the principle of unity in marriage life is one of the conditions for creating the well-being of the diplomat’s family, in terms of togetherness and the availability of support. Based on the research method using literature sources, it is identified that the main concern of the diplomatic spouses is the dissatisfaction due to feeling burdened or obliged to carry out the implicit “expected” role by the Diplomatic Service. In addition, they feel distressed about the conditions of social and financial dependence due to gender inequality in the household.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Republic of Indonesia should perceive the concerns as a potential challenge in recruiting and retaining competent diplomats in the near future. Recent studies reveal how gendered opportunities are progressing as women become more likely to pursue their careers and younger professionals are less likely to join the diplomatic service due to their spouses’ professional priorities. The MFA thus needs to explore ways to change its approach in formulating a policy that is more spouse-friendly to mitigate disruptions in the well-being of diplomats' families due to spouses’ dissatisfaction.

The paper identified family (spouse)-friendly policy platforms based on the gender equality principle done by the MFAs of the US and the British. The first platform is the employment and career assistance, and the second is the “freedom of choice” platform for the spouses to choose the role they will carry out abroad, which is more practical to be adopted by the MFA. The objective is to build a more robust organization that prioritizes the families' well-being. Therefore, it will empower the human resources aspect of Indonesian diplomacy. This strategy is also essential to retain younger diplomats (Generation Z) to stay in the bureaucracy.

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Ketersediaan

2022-0033

Sesdilu 72-2022

Training Materials Repository

Tersedia

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

Sesdilu 72-2022

Penerbit

Jakarta : Kementerian Luar Negeri., 2022

Deskripsi Fisik

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Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

NONE

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

-

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

UPT Sekolah Staf Dinas Luar Negeri

Versi lain/terkait

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