Celebrating female power

Stronger united: Women must be each other’s advocates, mentors and pillars of strength. – 123rf.com

“WHAT does being a superwoman in this era mean to you?”This question was posed by my human resources colleagues during a conversation about juggling career and motherhood, in conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8.

In line with #BreakTheBias – this year’s theme – I responded that I believe it’s not about being a superwoman, but about being a wonder(ful) woman instead.

While we do not have superpowers as comic book heroes do, women these days are wonderful in many ways – as professionals, career women, daughters, wives, mothers, educators and more, creating wonder and “wow” in what we do.

However, many women feel the weight of expectations on themselves.

In Disney’s recent animation, Encanto, the eldest daughter, who is blessed with super strength and to whom everyone looks to solve problems, sings in the song Surface Pressure about the need for allies – “sisters” who “buckle and bend but never break”.This is where the true wonderful power emerges – the ability to provide support for each other; the instinct to help and to care, to nurture and to protect. In other words, women must be each other’s advocates, mentors and pillars of strength.

I feel that women need to break out of what is presented as male-centric thinking which has dominated society for a long time, such as women belonging at home, in the kitchen or as the ones to care for the children.These are essentially joint responsibilities.

Hence, reconditioning and reeducating for an equitable, more diverse and less discriminatory society must be done proactively at all levels regardless of age, gender, and socio-economic background.Workplace wisdoms

I have witnessed growth in my 30 years at Sunway Education Group (SEG).

In the mid-80s and early 90s, it was very much a construction and development company with businesses in related fields, therefore naturally more male-oriented.Nevertheless, the senior leaders at the company, starting from our chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, were cognisant even in those days of the added strengths of having the contribution of more capable women.

Hence, in 1992, I joined them to not only lead the development of its education entity, but to also bring diversity and greater inclusivity to the organisation.

Changing mindsets was most interesting. I fondly remember dealing with things like dress code for women staff (to allow them to wear pants), discouraging sexiest jokes, paving for the eventual setting up of lactation rooms for young mothers, and advocating the hiring of more women leaders (despite them needing to take maternity leave every now and then).I, too, had to show my male counterparts that women are able excel at their careers while managing various family responsibilities. This was not just for me, but also all other women joining the organisation.

No doubt, I had many supportive and wonderful male colleagues at that time and continuously over the years, but the drive to change mindsets, very often ingrained in the women too, motivated me to do better.

Over time, we have achieved various milestones when it comes to gender diversity and inclusivity.

By 2020, of the 10 most senior posts, six were held by females while overall, 58% (or 160) of SEG staff members holding managerial posts and above were women.

This was an increase from 136 women in 2018. We also have robust policies on workplace flexibility, anti-sexual harassment, and hiring diversity.

These have been achieved due to the collective effort and dedication of my colleagues, both male and female.

There is more to be done. Our effort is strengthened owing to our institution’s commitment to advocating education, gender equality and women empowerment as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Empowering women

As in all patriarchal societies, Malaysia has been facing its share of gender challenges, especially in recent times.

It was thus a historic moment recently when the High Court ruled that automatic citizenship be passed down to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers. Previously, only Malaysian fathers could do so.

But this is just one of the many issues currently faced by women in our country.

There is so much more to be done to ensure that women and girls are protected, such as by addressing the gender pay gap, domestic violence and gender-based violence, sexual harassment and child marriages.

Women must be united in supporting each other on these causes. When it comes to the younger generation especially, those of us who have had the privilege of being part of the country’s economic growth need to now play a role in its spiritual and emotional growth.

This can happen by proactively engaging with young Malaysians.When time permits, I like to be involved with students, our future leaders in the making.

They can be very fragile in their mindsets so I make it a point to share and let them know that no matter how tough life gets, things will turn out all right.

Young girls face additional challenges, from social acceptance and anxiety to body image and gender stereotypes being spewed out on social media, which could lead to mental health issues.We need to attune our young, male and female, to the need to break down gender stereotyping and to advocate gender inclusivity.

Mindsets have to be continually challenged, reconciled and changed, so let us start with our young generation.

This journey is a process; one should always make it a point to be open and curious, to learn from others and to challenge our own beliefs, to further gain awareness of ourselves and those around us. In doing so, may we create an environment in which all feel comfortable, accepted and valued. Only then will we have a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination.

So, to all ladies out there, whether you are a grandmother, a mother, a daughter or a wife, you are all wonder women. Happy International Women’s Day!

Prof Dr Elizabeth Lee is the chief executive officer of Sunway Education Group. A veteran in the field of private higher education, Prof Lee is also an advocate for women in leadership. She has been recognised both locally and internationally for her contributions to the field of education. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.