Your voices have been heard, #makchicmumtribe. Loud and clear. As mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and women from all walks of life – gender equality remains an issue close to many of our hearts, in spite of the often unfair reality many women still face today.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, and the 2022 theme of #BreakTheBias, you anonymously shared some of your personal experiences in navigating gender-based discrimination, as well as the changes you hope to see, in our recent #MamaSecrets session. We thank you for your overwhelming responses, and for opening up and entrusting us with your stories.
These were some of the key takeaways from our session:
So, you have to work, do the school runs, cook, clean, teach – all with your hair perfectly in place? Give yourself a break from those often unfair expectations, mamas! These are just some of the societal pressures our #makchicmumtribe have personally faced:
Expected to bear the brunt of the caretaking and household responsibilities:
Being judged for choosing to be a working mother or a stay-at-home mama (can’t win either way, apparently!):
Brace yourselves for this, #makchicmumtribe. A recent study conducted by The Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) has shown that 51% of Malaysians believe that rape happens because of the way women behave. 49% believe that rape happens because woman do not take care in the way they dress.
Source: WAO
This blame culturehas to stop. Objectifying women, and silencing survivors who dare to speak out only serves to perpetuate the continuing cycle of abuse.
We’re no strangers to the dismissive attitudes and double standards women often face. Say it with us…an individual’s abilities cannot be inferred from gender alone!
Yes, we make wonderful teachers and nurses (which, by the way, we deserve more respect for!) And we are equally capable of pursuing a career in male-dominated industries, too. We are also your:
Doctors:
Engineers:
Business owners – and whatever else we put our minds too!
If I was the Women’s Minister, I would….
We also posed the following question to our #makchicmumtribe.
What would you do if you were made the Minister of Women, Family, and Community Development in Malaysia, just for the day? What would be the one cause you would prioritise?
From juggling work, the house, kids, and maybe even looking after aging parents, many of us have had to make sacrifices simply due to a lack of options. Bring in the support please!
Flexible working hours and arrangements
Startup funds for womenpreneurs
Breastfeeding support
Childcare at the workplace, with incentives for companies
As one of our mamas shared, the benefit of longer paternity leave goes well beyond relieving childcare duties at home. It ultimately signals responsibility, sending across the message that fathers have just as much of a role to play in their newborn’s life as their mothers.
We can’t stress this enough – violence-endorsing attitudes and sexual harassment have no place in society. We seek comprehensive sex education for all, and the highest and strictest laws pertaining to sexual abuse. Women have the right to feel safe!
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To read more of the eye-opening responses we received, check out Parts 1 and 2 of our Mama Secrets: #BreaktheBias session on our Instagram page.
Speaking out is the first step in challenging these unfair standards. We stand together with you in calling out biases, double standards, and gender stereotypes and hope to see greater strides being taken towards a more gender equal tomorrow.
