GENDER stereotypes should be eliminated as they have a negative impact not only on women but also on men, says state executive councillor for non-Islamic Religious Affairs and Social Development Chong Eng.
She said women as well as men should be encouraged to be free to do whatever they dream of and express their emotions respectively.
Chong Eng was sending this strong message during her virtual announcement of the Penang state-level 2022 International Women’s Day celebration campaign next month.
The state government, through the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC), is organising the month-long campaign, themed ‘#BreaktheBias’.
While IWD is celebrated on March 8 every year, Chong Eng said Penang would be celebrating it throughout the whole month of March to recognise the achievements, sacrifices and contributions of women from social, economic, cultural, political and even family spheres.
This is the 10th year that Penang will be celebrating IWD since 2013.
“Eliminating gender stereotypes begins with ourselves. We ourselves must take appropriate action so that generation now and in the future will enjoy a fair chance, regardless of women and men,” Chong Eng said in her speech today.
“In the past, women took on the role of caring children and houses while men went out to work. But with the changes of time and economic opportunities, women have already ventured into the field of entrepreneurship and employment to improve the family status.
“At the same time, men are encouraged to share responsibilities in the family, including childcare and household. ‘Women step out, men step in’ certainly involves a change in perception.”
She added that it is also a misconception that women are not able to be leaders.
She cited capable and talented women like Associate Professor Dr Wan Wardatul Amani Wan Salim (involved in NASA’s research programme to Mars), former World number one squash athlete Datuk Nicol David, Prof Datuk Dr Aileen Tan Shau-Hwai (recently listed in the article by Women Agenda.com titled ‘4 STEM leaders who will reshape the world we know in 2022 and beyond’), as role models.
Chong Eng said based on a report from the Department of Statistics, Malaysia’s female labour participation rate was 55.3% in 2020, still low if compared to other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore (69.7%) and Thailand (66.8%).
The largest gender gap, she said, could be seen in women’s involvement in politics which recorded the lowest score of 0.10, showing women are still far behind men in the political sector in the country.
“Lack of female representation in politics makes a huge impact on society, especially when it comes to enactments and policy making.
“Why do we still lack the involvement of women in economic and political sectors in the country? It is closely related to the social and stereotypical perceptions that have become ingrained in our society for so long,” Chong Eng said.
PWDC chief executive officer Ong Bee Leng said they have planned various activities while closely monitoring the current Covid-19 pandemic situation.
She said they would hold the celebration at the Municipal Park (formerly known as Youth Park) on March 5 in an open space with 100 invited guests and the ceremony would be officiated by Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman.
Then, she said March 8 would be a ‘Wear Purple Day’ where organisations are encouraged to decorate their offices or buildings in purple and people encouraged to wear shirts or accessories purple in colour.
“It’s a symbolic effort to express your strong support for women’s empowerment agenda. You can also colour your social media profile picture, either Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok with purple colour,” Ong said.
In addition, she said they would hold a ‘Purple Carnival’ with the cooperation of PDC Setia Urus on March 8 on the 3rd floor of Komtar. The carnival will feature products from PWDC-run programmes.
Ong added that they would also organise a Pioneer Recognition Ceremony to recognise individuals who have contributed towards the empowerment of women in the state.
So far, more than 70 nominations have been received from women and men from a variety of backgrounds.
Ong said youths are encouraged to take part in a one-minute video contest, producing a video creatively using social media to show how to reject gender stereotypes. The grand prize is RM1,000 cash.
For more information on the activities and events, visit www.pwdc.org.my or PWDC Facebook.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Lee Jia Ying