Gender equality is your issue, too

Gender equality is an interesting puzzle. Many equate gender equality to women’s rights, but it is not as simple as that.

After more than 50 years of independence, how is gender equality in Malaysia?

Gender equality according to United Nations (UN) refers to “the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female. Gender equality implies that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration, recognising the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is not a women’s issue but should concern and fully engage men as well as women. Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centred development”.

As the UN definition suggests, gender equality is not solely women’s issues and it is about opportunities.

Gender equality matters for Malaysia’s development process because any form of gender inequality will lead to social inequality.

The recently launched Global Gender Gap Report 2014 shows Malaysia’s ranking in the global gender gap ladder has continued to slide. The report placed Malaysia at the 107th spot out of 142 countries, which is the second last in the Southeast Asia region, with Cambodia at the bottom just one spot below.

Compared with its neighbours in Southeast Asia, Malaysia has fared poorly in fostering gender equality.

What went wrong?

One of the reasons is, many people do not view gender equality as a matter of justice.

As in most Asian cultures, patriarchal institutions strongly exist in Malaysia. In many areas, we are still living in a male-dominated setting society.

Women generally are still trapped in their stereotyped roles. For example, most of the religious and hereditary posts are reserved for men. Similarly, when it comes to political empowerment, men have the advantage over women.

In Malaysia, sexism in politics is common. Women, especially young women, are often the targets of “verbal abuse”.

Whether it is by choice or accident, Indonesian newly-elected President Joko Widodo has a record number of eight women ministers. That earns him praise for raising the profile of women as some hold important portfolios.

Initiatives by several groups, for example the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC), is a good effort. The UNMC recently launched its first working group amongst Malaysia’s higher education institutions, for the purpose to promote gender equality.

The Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WinSET) Working Group of UNMC aims to create equal opportunities for men and women in academia by providing necessary support in term of influencing policies, practices and culture of the university.

To be fair, there have been efforts to enhance the gender equality in Malaysia. However more work needs to be done before we can actually live in a gender-blind society.

In the speech delivered by the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson for the HeForShe campaign recently, she said, “gender issue is your issue, too”.

What she said was true. It must be borne in mind that the advancement of women is not a privilege. It is in fact an important part of a broader exercise of creating an ordered society.

Having said that, it is not only crucial to reiterate the need for increasing women’s leadership and participation, but it is also equally important to end violence against females and enhancing women’s economic empowerment.

After all humanity is about both men and women, and we are equally important and need one another. – November 3, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.