Women empowerment: Easier said than done

Graphic: 123rf

THE phrase “women empowerment” is everywhere nowadays, often paraded as a catchy campaign, posted on LinkedIn, and of course tagged with #womenempowerment.

Living that reality, especially in corporate environments, is a whole different ball game, though. How many times have you overheard those remarks whispered, or sometimes said shockingly aloud?

“Oh, but she has five kids.”

“Oh, but she’ll go on maternity leave again.”

“Oh, but she has a rich husband.”

And just like that the conversation shifts. Suddenly, it’s no longer about what she brings to the table, but about her family, her choices, and her so-called “availability”. Her life outside the office becomes a convenient excuse for why she “isn’t ready” for the opportunity.

It’s not about capability. It’s not about performance. It’s about bias, sugar-coated as concern, practicality, or “business continuity”. Need proof? Let’s look at the numbers.

Globally, women’s labour force participation remains below 47%, compared with 72% for men, resulting in a participation gap of 25 percentage points. In some regions, this gap exceeds 50 percentage points.

Earning disparities between women and men are also evident across income levels, with women earning 73 cents for every dollar earned by men in high-income countries; in low-income countries it’s 44 cents per dollar (International Labour Organisation).

At the very top, women remain significantly underrepresented, accounting for only about 10%-11% of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies (Fortune, 2024; Women Business Collaborative, 2025).

The irony is that companies with gender-diverse leadership perform better financially. If diversity delivers results, why is leadership still not open to women on equal terms?

Globally, women experience what economists call the motherhood penalty, a measurable drop in promotion rates, earnings, and perceived commitment after having children. Meanwhile, men often enjoy the opposite, a fatherhood premium. Same child. Same responsibility. Very different outcomes.

The next time someone throws “women empowerment” around like confetti at a conference, pause. The real work isn’t done with slogans or hashtags, it lies in confronting the quiet assumptions and double standards hard-wired into every hiring and promotion decision.

We don’t need to “fix” women. We need to fix the systems, mindsets, and metrics that work against them. That starts with stripping outdated assumptions out of decision-making, because equality means choosing the best person without gender bias.

We rock the cradle, we breastfeed babies. We run homes, chase deadlines, manage expectations all at once. We show up, we step up.

And yes, we deserve to thrive at the very top of the corporate world. Not despite being women. But because we are women.

A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all working women. Take the crown, queen, it is yours!

SAMEERAH ROSELEY

Kuala Lumpur

The writer is an International Islamic University Malaysia Affiliate and Master’s Student in Sustainability Science.