Sexism and the role of women’s groups

Last October, the local Mandarin daily Kwong Wat Yit Poh, as part of its coverage of the Asian Games, carried a picture of women swimmers with this caption: “Makes you unable to restrain yourself.”

The writer, in assuming that all his male readers shared his prurient thoughts when looking at a picture of women in swimsuits, insulted both men and women. But it was a women’s group, the All Women’s Action Society (Awam), which complained about it in a letter to an online news portal.

Indeed, if the women of this country are to see a change in their lot, it is up to them to do the work. They certainly cannot depend on government agencies, not even the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, which has remained silent in the face of sexist media portrayals of women and displays of bigotry by male public officials.

All this despite Malaysia being a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw).

In 2009, the director-general of the Labour Department, Ismail Abdul Rahim, revealed both his ignorance and his sexist attitude when he ridiculed the need for a Sexual Harassment Act, saying it “could lead to a dull and rigid environment in the workplace”.

It would be a waste of time to talk to such a bigot about Cedaw, which seeks, among other things, to safeguard women’s dignity at the workplace.

Perhaps he was just lucky not to have been maimed by women’s groups. But we may well ask: Where were the women’s groups?

Ismail is just one of the many chauvinistic high-powered figures dispensing their pea-brained thoughts to the Malaysian public. With so many of them running around scot-free, it is no wonder that media organisations run riot showing women as sex objects.

For instance, they have no qualms carrying advertisements showing women as lusty or sex-starved. One example is the Super Power coffee commercial that shows a husband taking his wife to a genie, seeking “power” to copulate satisfactorily.

Another advertisement, for the Orang Kampung Kacip Fatimah, shows the husband all too impatient to get home from work. He runs up to his bedroom to join his wife, who has just had a drink containing kacip fatimah, a traditional herb taken by women for its aphrodisiac effect.

Then there is the Ombak Besar advertisement that talks about bigger breasts for women.

In a country where the government can push through any new law it likes, why are such lewd messages allowed? Isn’t the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry offended? Or is there a gag order barring it from taking these television stations to task?

Even perfume advertisements, both on television and in magazines, unabashedly use women to sell their products. Likewise, neither Malaysia Airlines nor AirAsia has ever failed to flaunt its female cabin crew in announcements of new fares. What happened to the male stewards’?

Changing mindest

Women’s groups must always remember that they exist to protect and defend women’s rights at all costs. Writing letters to editors is not enough. It is a shame that not a single women’s organisation marched up to Ismail’s office to rebuke him for his atrocity.

Educating the media is difficult, but it is not an impossible task. Perhaps the best strategy is one that brings about a change in the mindset of editors. This could lead to a smart partnership between the women’s groups and the media establishments.

There is much work for the women’s groups to do against the prevalent sexist mindset. Nowadays, not even the movie theatres are spared.

In a recent Malay movie, Cuti-cuti Cinta, there is a scene in which the hero points to the female lead’s breasts and says, “Ni apa? Nasi lemak 50 sen?” This piece of dialogue went uncensored, but not the fleeting sight of Sharifah Amani’s belly button in Dalil Cinta, which was aired by TV3 on Nov 28. What criteria are the censors using?

Women’s groups should worry about such trivialisation of women, their bodies and their concerns.

In 2008, when a restaurant employee accused former minister Jamaluddin Jarjis of sexual harassment, what was the reaction of women’s groups? Nothing. In less than 24 hours, the complainant withdrew her statutory declaration, saying she was “used” to Jamaluddin’s “rough ways” and jokes. Jamaluddin got away without the slightest reprimand from any women’s group.

When it comes to defending women’s rights, women’s groups cannot just pick and choose their issues. When advocating women’s welfare, they must not allow themselves to be cowed by the threat of being blacklisted because of the “sensitivity” of the cause being championed.

It is no crime to march in the streets or to government departments to demand that women be treated with the same respect accorded to men.

While women’s groups are busy dealing with issues like amendments to the Penal Code on rape and looking at ways to empower women, these will be good only if the chauvinists and bigots – be they politicians, bureaucrats, editors, film-makers or owners of media organisations – are challenged and persuaded to change their sexist mentality.