Letter from Emma Poeradiredja (Bandung, 12 January 1957) to Helen Fowler, answering a request to describe Indonesian women's work. She explains the Kongres Wanita Indonesia umbrella, its three foundations, women's organisations by type (social, officials' wives, political), kindergartens, schools, cooperatives and the
1957 'Letter to an Unknown Friend' by Sudjinah (Gerwani) on Indonesian children's conditions, framed by colonial history, Japanese occupation and the Round Table agreement. Gives statistics (15-20% infant mortality, one doctor per 59,000, illiteracy 65%, 5 of 12 million children in school) and notes Gerwani, with the I
Excerpt from the WIDF Information Bulletin No. 14 (1957): Mme Suwarti (Suwarti Bintang Suradi), member of the Gerwani executive, reports on social insurance and protection for mothers and children in Indonesia. She notes obstacles for women officials, company rules such as Shell-BPM ending employment on marriage, lack
Short 1957 WIDF magazine item: President Sukarno, visiting Tashkent, was asked by the Urazayev family to name their newborn daughter and chose 'Youldous Sukharno' ('little star'), symbolising Soviet-Indonesian friendship. Gerwani is not mentioned; it illustrates Sukarno's 1956-57 Soviet bloc visits and friendship propa
WIDF magazine 1957 'We Saw and Heard at the Council Meeting' with delegate speeches at the Helsinki Council. Umi Sardjono, President of Gerwani (640,000 members), reports a nationwide marriage-law campaign, the 1955 elections (five Gerwani members in parliament, six in the Constituent Assembly, 52 provincial councillor
Journal article by Justus M. van der Kroef (American Catholic Sociological Review, June 1957) on women's status and marriage in Indonesia: adat versus Islamic law, polygamy, divorce rates, colonial and revolutionary change. Surveys women's organisations (Perwari, Kowani) and notes Kowani's early left turn and WIDF cont
CIA compilation of reference data (February 1957, data to 1 October 1956) on international communist-front organisations and friendship societies, including the Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF). The WIDF directory lists headquarters, publications, executive officers and national affiliates. Under Indo
Canberra Times 'What People Are Doing' social column, 7 May 1957, p. 5. Only Gerwani-adjacent item: Mrs Urbani, wife of an Indonesian Embassy first secretary, will address the Canberra branch of the National Council of Women on 'Women in Indonesia'. Rest is unrelated local notices.
New York Times, 16 June 1957, p.37, Special to the Times from Jakarta: Sukarno names the 45 members of the new National Council (Dewan Nasional), chaired by himself, with Roeslan Abdulgani as deputy chairman and secretary-general. About a quarter are described as Communists or sympathisers, including PKI member Sujono
Very garbled FBIS item (26 Sep 1957) from Xinhua: a reception in Peking on 26 September for Indonesian women members of Dr. Hatta's party (Mohammad Hatta's delegation), hosted by a vice-president of the All-China Democratic Women's Federation, with the wife of Ambassador Sukardjo Wirjopranoto and Indonesian embassy wom