Datin Marina Mahathir speaking during The Women's Forum yesterday. Picture: BT/Saifulizam
Friday, August 6, 2010
Women need power to make decisions before they can transform a particular society, prominent women’s rights advocate Datin Marina Mahathir said yesterday.
“If we believe that women can transform our societies into one that is more humane, more just and compassionate than the one we currently have, then we need to have power and this has yet (to be achieved),” she said during her keynote speech on the topic “Women are Central, Not Marginal: the Case for Women Leaders” at The Women’s Forum 2010.
Focusing on education and employment, the invited speaker provided insights on the situation of women in Southeast Asia compared to other countries in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America where they are still fighting for equal opportunities.
In all societies, power is often defined and determined by economic and political power, said Datin Marina, adding physical power was also thrown into the mix in the past.
“Thus women were described as the fairer sex, gentler sex as a way of underscoring our lesser physical power and therefore any power that we might have in society in general.”
As a result, the laws that have been passed ensure that society remained a status quo that privileges men and although times have changed, such laws still exist in some countries in the region.
She also pointed out that contrary to popular belief, religions such as Islam, do not discriminate against women but was due to interpretations controlled by men in an era where women were not as educated as they were in the present time. This was also the reason why there was still a lack of policies governing domestic violence in certain countries.
“Higher up in the employment scale however, there are less and less women. Even though there are higher undergraduates, this does not necessary translate into more females in the private sector in executive and management positions,” said Datin Marina.
She attributed this partly because of the courses that they took in university which tend to be in art and social sciences, rather than hard sciences not necessarily what the market requires.
“Then, once they start working they become entrapped in the perennial work-home balance that Datin Adina mentioned and as often happens, just when they have become well-trained, ready to move up much rapidly up the ladder, they get married, have children and succumb to the pressures to become a good mother and stay home. Meanwhile, their male counterparts stay at work and overtake them up the ranks.”
The real power lies in the ability to make decisions not only in the companies the women work for, but also the workforce and the community which some countries such as Norway have taken note of.
They have introduced a law that requires companies to reserve 40 per cent of the seats in the board for women or risk closure.
“It is important to have enough women in power to make the changes we need the numbers (for support),” she said.
The Malaysian’s Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is currently working on a proposal to have women hold 30 per cent of the positions in decision-making bodies.
“I believe that women should use the economic power they have in order to change their society to a more gender balanced one,” she said, adding that it should be done for the good of the society as a whole.
“We are not barriers to progress, we are contributors and facilitators. We are not burdens of society, we help to alleviate much of the burdens if we only look at our roles (properly). We promote peace and harmony among our people if only we are allowed to participate in peacemaking.”
The Brunei Times
Latest by Dewi Mohd Sofri:
- New committee on women's issues
- Japanese craftsmanship on display at museum
- Recognise media's role in nation building: Pressman
- Media need to report accurately, responsibly
- New bridge opens in Sg Liang
