Indonesia’s digital economy continues to expand rapidly, with online marketplaces, social media promotion, and QR-based payments increasingly becoming standard tools for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Women own the majority of Indonesia’s micro-enterprises, especially in food production, handicrafts, and home-based services. These businesses support household income and local employment, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic increased economic pressures on families.
Yet rural women entrepreneurs frequently face barriers that include:
- Limited smartphone and internet access
- Low digital literacy
- Limited financial knowledge
- Minimal exposure to leadership roles
- Heavy family responsibilities that reduce training time
As noted in recent economic and policy reports, these digital gaps can slow business growth and reinforce existing inequalities. Women who cannot adopt e-commerce platforms, social media promotion, or digital payments are less likely to expand beyond local markets. This digital divide affects national competitiveness: according to Indonesian MSME data, technology adoption remains uneven across provinces, with rural communities lagging behind.
In many villages, including Tarumanegara, women produce quality goods from woven crafts to snack foods but still rely on traditional word-of-mouth advertising and cash-only transactions. Without visibility on digital platforms or basic financial skills, sales remain limited and profits stagnate.
To address this problem, Goklas Siahaan and Silvana Syah implemented a community-based training program titled “Women Lead Digital.” The program combined three elements that are usually taught separately: digital marketing, digital financial literacy, and leadership skills for community-level empowerment.
Instead of treating women as passive learners, the researchers used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) model. This approach invites participants to identify their own business challenges, co-create solutions, and evaluate results together. The PAR model is widely used in community development because it builds ownership and supports long-term sustainability.
The training took place in Tarumanegara Village with 25 women MSME actors. Activities included:
- Smartphone-based product photography.
- Content creation with Canva.
- Social media marketing using Instagram and Facebook.
- Marketplace introduction through Shopee.
- Digital finance tools such as QRIS and mobile banking.
- Risk awareness on online fraud and illegal lending.
- Structured leadership and communication workshops.
Data was gathered through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and pre- and post-tests measuring knowledge gains.
Key Findings: Higher Digital Capacity and New Local Leaders
The program also produced social impacts beyond technical learning. Participants formed a new peer-led network, “Srikandi Digital Tarumanegara,” where members share knowledge, solve digital marketing issues together, and coordinate promotional strategies. Within this group, early adopters naturally became community mentors. For example, one participant skilled in digital payments helped others set up QRIS, while another who mastered Instagram taught peers how to create product reels.
According to the researchers, the rise of these informal leaders indicates a deeper cultural shift from individual and competitive behavior to collaborative and community-oriented economic practices.
The findings of Goklas Siahaan and Silvana Syah suggest that rural digital transformation requires more than technical training. When women gain digital skills alongside leadership confidence and financial literacy, they are better positioned to drive community-wide economic change.
Potential societal benefits include:
- Greater market access for rural MSMEs.
- More efficient and transparent cash flow.
- Improved financial security for households.
- Higher local entrepreneurship rates.
- Reduced gender digital divide.
- Stronger grassroots digital ecosystems.
The researchers note that short program durations can limit the measurement of long-term income effects. Infrastructure barriers such as unstable internet connections also continue to challenge rural digital initiatives.
Still, the formation of the Srikandi Digital Tarumanegara forum demonstrates how integrated training can stimulate self-sustaining peer learning. With continued institutional support, similar models could be replicated in other Indonesian villages to accelerate inclusive digital growth.
Reflecting on their findings, the authors write that empowering women as digital leaders can trigger “behavioral changes and new awareness… such as the adoption of digital transactions, the rise of local leaders, and the creation of collective awareness towards social transformation
Is a researcher at Universitas Siber Asia specializing in community development and digital empowerment.
Silvana Syah, M.Sc.
Is a lecturer at Universitas Siber Asia whose work focuses on digital literacy, women’s empowerment, and financial education.
URL: https://journal.formosapublisher.org/index.php/ajcs
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