Indonesian Women's Congress

Since its founding the Congress has included women from various political and religious backgrounds; it has generally allowed independence and autonomy for its member organizations.

[9] At the December 1930 Women's Congress in Surabaya, which Isteri-Sedar participated in, it was decided that the PPII would support Indonesian nationalist politics and the struggle for liberation from Dutch rule, although the organization still maintained some pretenses at being apolitical.

[8][12] (Isteri-Sedar also sent delegates to the Lahore conference, and enraged Muslim members of the PPII by comments they made there which were deemed to be anti-religious.

[2][4] At that meeting the topic of marriage was again discussed at length and the possibility of improving women's status within the framework of Islamic law was studied.

[1] After Indonesia became independent, the group continued to support nationalist causes such as the Indonesian claim over Western New Guinea or the anti-Malaysia Konfrontasi campaign.

[15] Unlike many mass organizations which were outlawed during the Transition to the New Order in 1966–67, such as Gerwani, the Indonesian Women's Congress continued to operate in the increasingly conservative Suharto era.

[3] Former major issues of the organization such as campaigns against sexual harassment and for child care were dropped and the 1966 Congress was forced to adopt a new programme focusing on motherhood, wifehood and national development.

[25] The newly open political environment saw major changes in the messaging and composition of the congress, including the participation of delegates from lesbian and sex worker organizations, as well as a testimony from a former Gerwani member.

[25] However, this new openness did receive some pushback, including from the Kowani chairperson Ine Sukarno, who published a letter denouncing the rehabilitation of Gerwani in 1999.

[14][26] At the 23rd Congress in 2009, Kowani put forward an eight-point platform: Education, Health, Supremacy of the Law and Constitution, Popular Welfare, National Dignity, Environment, Human Rights, and Gender Equality and Justice.