Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia vice-chancellor Sharifah Syahirah Syed Shiekh told FMT that such discrimination must stop as Malaysia needed more women politicians to shape effective policies.
“It is not women’s fault. Let’s respect religion but don’t misuse it against women to say they should be treated as lesser than men,” she said on the sidelines of the Malaysia Women and Girls Forum 2024, of which FMT is a media partner.
While Malaysia has made progress in education and health, Sharifah Syahirah said women continue to be left behind in the political landscape, with less than 15% of MPs consisting of women currently.
This made the goal of achieving 30% women representation in the Dewan Rakyat all the more distant.
“It is crucial to have women representation to raise issues that men may not notice, such as those related to children and community welfare,” said the former deputy secretary-general of the National Council of Women’s Organisations Malaysia.
Separately, Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid said more women were stepping up to the plate but a greater push was needed to see them participating more in politics and even the workforce.
“When we talk about structural changes, cultural changes need to take place, too,” she said.
The DAP MP also said women tend to face criticism when they venture into the workforce or politics, adding that this usually came in the form of hateful and personal attacks, especially online.
“No one is prepared for such hate,” she added.
Anne Lasimbang, executive director of Sabahan NGO Pacos Trust, said her organisation had been working at the grassroots level to get more women into politics.
She said Malaysia particularly needed women who were knowledgeable and capable of speaking for their community to run for elections, rather than just fielding women candidates for the sake of it.
Lasimbang said one of the major concerns in Sabah was child marriages, where families from indigenous communities marry off young girls to escape poverty.
“There is no age limit among them. Some even marry off their young while they’re still in the womb. We need more women at the policymaking level in order to stop this,” she added.