Wishes for a World with Gender Equity

International Women's Day is a celebration of the significant achievements of women around the globe, but it also serves as a reminder that continued progress is necessary given the challenges that continue to exist. 

I was curious to have the perspective of the younger generation on the matter. What could be their experiences today? In what ways do they wish things were different? What dreams do they have for the future, and how can we make it a reality? Despite differences in gender, backgrounds, and work experiences, I was surprised to find that they shared common themes in their experiences and aspirations. It was also striking to discover that their location - whether in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, London, or Houston - made little difference, if any, to their experiences.

Systematic approach to gender equity

The approach to gender equity must be systematic to advance more women to senior leadership.  Although women start out their career just as ambitious, they remain to be under-represented in leadership roles as fighting against multiple structural and experiential barriers takes a toll on the energy over the years. In fact, studies suggest that women dropped out because of the way they are treated on the job: Women have less access to vital information, get less feedback from supervisors, and face other obstacles to advancement.

Women and girls everywhere are still subjected to significant disadvantage. For KN, this starts as early as puberty. World Bank estimated that girls could miss as much as 20% of school calendar from poor access to feminine hygiene products during their menstrual cycles, automatically giving them a great disadvantage in comparison to their male counterparts. To even the playing field for women in the workplace, the effort starts much earlier. KN believes that we must make access to feminine hygiene products an essential part of healthcare: a right every girl is entitled to. Many NGOs, non-profit organizations, progressive companies, and countries provide feminine hygiene products, but more can be done.

As Dr. Naheed Dosani aptly said, “equality is giving everyone a shoe; equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits.” When a company focuses on equity, it levels the playing field, as its policies and systems would be designed to meet the unique needs without unfair advantage to anyone. This would not only tackle the invisible barriers to career advancements, or glass ceiling; but also free the barriers that glue a person to the floor making it difficult to progress, or the sticky floors.

AHJ wishes “that all women will have the opportunity to succeed and excel in whatever they choose to do. That them being a woman will not be seen as something that should hold them back or limit their potential”.

From personal experiences, NS, a female commercial pilot based in Kuala Lumpur, superior officers often judge female pilots by their looks rather than their skills and abilities. CH concurred, “Since the early days of aviation the world saw a pilot as a male and a flight attendant as a female. It has created a gender bias against females in the cockpit. As a pilot myself [in the US] I have flown with many female pilots and consider them to perform their duties equal to if not better than a male pilot. I still fly with some older generation pilots who believe that a women should not be in a cockpit because that is how it was in their time”.

NS and CH share the same ambition: for every person to be applied the same rules, receive the same treatment and on-job appraisal that is fair on merit, and equal opportunities to advance. In an article published in 2018, Harvard concurred that while their desires and challenges are remarkably similar, what they experience at work puts them in very different places. One way to ensure this is to study the different success rates, surface up unconscious biases and double standards and intervene accordingly. This is the path to gender parity.

More female representations

More female role models and more women in senior decision-making roles is another powerful impression to speed track gender equality. Female role models can inspire and spur women to challenge gender stereotypes and break down barriers to success. They also help increase visibility and representation of women in various fields. That is AZJ’s exact wish: that there will be better/more representation of woman in important roles, including leading roles in movies. Representation is important as “it would inspire young girls, to strive to be the best version of themselves”.

Additionally, women in senior decision-making roles not only brings a different perspective and add to team dynamics, but their presence also challenges the notion that certain industries and professions are "male-only" spaces. With enough spotlight, their representation would encourage more women participation in these fields. According to AAR, “seeing is believing and if we do not see the gender diversity or rather, equality in positions of power i.e. parliament & the judiciary, then there’s little hope for the rest of us”. Despite the progress made (e.g., 26.5% women representation on the boards of the top 100 Malaysian public listed companies), the lack of gender diversity at all levels and across many industries is still apparent. During her 3-year stint as a lawyer in Malaysia, AAR expressed that she had only encountered a handful of female judges. A friend of hers, who had been practicing syariah law for almost 2 years, had not had the opportunity to appear before a female judge in the syariah courts. These experiences led AAR to question how fairness and justice can prevail when certain segments of society are not adequately represented.

ASJ, a post-doctoral researcher at a university in the UK, sees that more systematic change, such as parental leave (available in many countries in Europe), can better balance the parental role that would create a more level playing field for women in academia. Although an equal or higher number of women completed undergraduate studies, more men venture to take up lecturer and professor positions. ASJ believes there is a tendency “to lean heavily towards women taking more time outside of work to raise a family, when it should be a shared responsibility between both men and women”. 

In fact, men's support and allyship should extend beyond individual households and be used to dismantle practices that perpetuate systemic inequities within organizations. Currently, the global workforce consists of 75% men, with 78% of men holding senior leadership or decision-making positions in the public and private sectors. This places a responsibility on men to recognize where they may have contributed to systemic inequities and use their power to effect change such as actively promoting social justice by speaking out and taking action. It is an ongoing journey that requires intentional efforts to learn about women's experiences in the workplace, cultivate a growth mindset, welcome feedback, and continually strive for improvement.

Empathy and Understanding

Empathy & understanding will allow individuals to recognize and appreciate the experiences, perspectives, and feelings of others, which can lead to more equitable and respectful treatment, inclusive environment, where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their gender.

KS hopes that everyone will learn and help each other to grow and replace biases with empathy and understanding.  He feels that individuals, particularly men, should be more proactive in initiating dialogues that allow them to understand each other's challenges and discover ways to support and respect one another. He acknowledges that, as a man, he cannot fully comprehend the experiences of women, as their struggles are unique to their gender. The same applies to women in their understanding of men's experiences.

Gender bias and stereotypes happens both ways. Unfortunately, women bear the brunt of the discrimination, and it covers all aspects of women’s lives, including the household. 

Increasing awareness of bias must be followed with how to manage biases. Through a combination of strategies - including calling out stereotyped views, adopting the perspective of others, and increasing interactions with people from diverse backgrounds – individuals can acquire the necessary tools to acknowledge that while bias may be common, it is neither acceptable nor inevitable.  Understanding and empathy creates an inclusive environment where differences are celebrated rather than tolerated.

In a workplace with psychological safety, team members are not rejected for being their full self and mistakes are not often held against them. Employees will also feel safe to take risks, ask other team members for help, and more easily discuss difficult problems and issues. Lastly, and potentially most importantly, all team members value and respect each other’s contributions to the workplace.

LS wants the future generations to have psychological safety at work. LS confided that many women feel inhibited by the absence of psychological safety at work. They are afraid to show their vulnerability, share ideas, or even talk about the work challenges they face. “I can recall the times when the lack of psychological safety stopped me from expressing myself or asking a simple question”. LS’s wish for psychological safety for women, therefore, is particularly relevant, as women will have a better chance to achieve their full potential if they experience inclusion and believe that their views and voices matter. 

We have come a long way to close the gender gap but the younger generation I talked to, proved that we still have a lot of work to do. A world where equity is embraced and where women and girls are valued equally and treated with dignity and respect. Celebrating International Women's Day is an opportunity to raise awareness, educate others, and take action to support and empower women. Leaders and CEOs must take the lead for systemic changes in creating a workplace that is inclusive, diverse, and fair to ensure equal opportunities for men and women.  Our job is to equip the next generations of women and girls to achieve their full potential, to the point they can outdo us! By doing so, we will not only help to create a more gender-equal world but also a more prosperous and successful one for all.