Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

This article first appeared in Capital, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 11, 2017 - December 17, 2017

It’s that time of the year again. No, not the time for bonuses, although that won’t stop people from hoping for the same good fortune that saw Malaysia’s third-quarter GDP grow 6.2%.

I am also not talking about the Umno general assembly where iconic singer Sheila Majid’s Twitter feed was apparently a serious enough subject to warrant multiple headlines.

No, I am talking about Time’s choice for Person of the Year. Interestingly, despite its title, it’s sometimes not an actual person but something a little more abstract. And more interestingly, most tend to see it as a positive award, although Time itself admits that the award highlights those that impacted the year … for better or for worse.

If you want proof, just Google who won last year and be prepared to make a face.

This year, the honour went to the #MeToo movement, which celebrates those who broke their silence on sexual harassment. The movement has brought down numerous men in positions of power in the US but has hardly caused a ripple here.

One wonders actually why though. Are women in Malaysia made of Teflon?

That is a question that is unfortunately too heavy to discuss in this space but one of the side implications really is that women are increasingly finding their feet and their voice.

And it only took … a 100 years or so. So, go … us?

Our current administration certainly seems to believe that women are the key. PM Najib promised that if Barisan Nasional won again, the Senate will be comprised of at least 30% women.

A nice gesture, but surely, regardless of whoever the policymakers are, that should be a given as women make up half the population, no? Something that should also be true for public-listed companies, where despite having had some very strong women in positions of power, there are only a handful of female CEOs.

But it is a start and it certainly beats having to wait another 100 years. There is a reason why it made the news when Maybank appointed its first female chairman — Datuk Mohaiyani Shamsudin — earlier this year.

However, while it is nice to get a foot in the door, shouldn’t the way that women are treated once they are there be something to talk about? Starting with how much they earn?

Women are still paid only 79 sen compared with every ringgit earned by their male counterparts. Even more irritatingly, apparently 79% of men seem to think that women are paid just as much as they are.

Look, I am certainly not a feminist. In fact, I think some of the things that people do in the name of feminism seem less about girl power and more about attention seeking.

But I am all about an equal ground to stand on, especially when it comes to my pay cheque. Saying that though, one should never forget that for some, even getting to the lowest step already took decades.

Maybe that should be what we ought to be talking about rather than burning effigies or arguing over which movie franchise is better, Marvel or DC.

Don’t be silly. It’s clearly Marvel.

Save by subscribing to us for your print and/or digital copy.

P/S: The Edge is also available on Apple's AppStore and Androids' Google Play.

      Print
      Text Size
      Share