THE International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed on March 8 annually; to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women.
Penang Women and Family Development, Gender Inclusiveness and non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng said that gender is not an issue in achieving one’s goal.
“We just have to set our mind, be given the opportunity to step in and make our stand.
“The theme for IWD 2019 is ‘Balance for Better’. This campaign stresses the importance of gender parity and the need to raise more awareness on gender equality,” she said during the opening of the Women’s Day Fair 2019 held at Level 3, Komtar today.
Also present were PDC Setia Urus chief executive officer Datuk Ang Choo Hong, Penang Welfare Department director Shaballah Zainal Abidin, state Women’s Development Department director Marhaini Abu Bakar and BeautySesh founder Nur Hanisha Mohd Hashim.
Chong Eng said that the IWD 2018 theme ‘Press for Progress’ was a successful one; where the world stepped forward, pushed boundaries and went beyond their means to achieve greater gender equality.
“Let us continue to play our role to forge a more gender-balanced world. Let’s work towards ‘Balance for Better’,” she said.
Chong Eng said the Penang government had tailored several policies to enable women to contribute towards Penang2030.
“We have established a Women & Family Development committee or better known as Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita & Keluarga (JPWK), in every state constituency,” she added.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has officially launched the Gender Inclusiveness (GI) Policy yesterday (March 7).
Chong Eng said: “Through the GI Policy, we can ensure that within the state government agencies, no ‘one-gender’ will dominate the decision-making system; by adopting a balance composition of 40% women, 40% men and the remaining 20% open to both men and women.”
“In the long-term, prevailing social norms need to evolve for gender gaps to be bridged. The Penang government is heading towards the right path,” Chong Eng said.
Story by Danny Ooi
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis