The town of Jepara on the coast of Central Java is home to thousands of small and medium-scale furniture and woodworking enterprises. Women play an essential role in the industry, mostly working as sanders and doing the final touches on furniture ready for delivery. But they have other roles as well, and their relationship to work, to the industry, to wood and to craftsmanship is another story – told here by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

This work is part of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry, supported by CGIAR Fund Donors.