The Innovation of Women-based Cooperative: Enhancing the Role of Women in Economic Development in the Digital Era

Abstract

Indonesia is a country with various traditional and cultural values, which affect its people's social life. Some of these customs and cultures position women as the second class who view women as incapable of playing a role in the public sphere. This condition makes the position of women in the household economy only as income earners. Cooperatives are community-based economic organizations formed and driven by a group of people for business purposes with family, voluntary, and open principles. As community economic organizations, cooperatives can be a place for women to start their businesses to increase their role in economic development in society. In Sukabumi City, there is a cooperative to innovate by forming a women's cooperative, in which women run the board, members, and business activities. This paper will discuss what kinds of innovations are carried out by the Women's Cooperative and how these cooperatives can increase women's role in economic development in the digital era.