Incorporate gender in education

Women are not an alien category to be 'othered'" or a sex to be objectified just because men, and some women, have the institutional clout to do so.

COMMENT

There needs to be a match between a symbolic representation of women in the government and an encultured attitude of respect towards the woman on the street. (File pic)

By Imad Alatas

Gender has been quite the prominent theme discussed in the media and the public following the Pakatan Harapan government taking power.

The government’s specific promise was to ensure that at least 30% of policy-makers comprised women.

This promise acknowledges the role of women in Malaysian society, at least in the upper echelons.

Malaysian society should be analysed at two levels — the elite level and the level of the general population.

This attitude towards increasing the representation of women in the Cabinet should also be reflected on the ground, by respecting women, regardless of whether they hold prestigious positions or not.

Gender does not just operate within the political machinery; it is very much present on the ground when a woman in Malaysia is slut-shamed or called out for not dressing a certain way.

Women’s rights activists have noted how it is that Muslim women, more than non-Muslim women, are the victims of aggressive forms of online abuse, pushing the victims at times to contemplate suicide.

In a religiously-charged discourse on morality and modesty, the body of a Muslimah (a female Muslim) is seen as a microcosm of “Islamic” morality, if there is such a concept.

Whether or not the aesthetics of her body contradict the ideal religiosity of a Muslimah in Malaysia is a separate matter.

It should not, for example, be used as justification to zoomorphise a woman for the world to see, or to make statements such as “you’re asking for it” if she is not as covered up as some segments of society would like her to be.

The shaming of women reflects the gap in education when it comes to promoting a discourse on gender equality.

Just as how Malaysians, even at the university level, think that there is nothing wrong with offering a gift in exchange for a service rendered, so too do they think that a misogynistic view of a woman is normal if she is seen to be deviating from neatly defined ways of how she should behave or dress.

Gender, like religion, is a crucial component of education because it is one of the most fundamental units of any society. It determines an individual’s quality of life — in this case how much dignity a woman is accorded in her everyday experiences.

Gender, or gender equality, does in fact start from young. How it will be taught at school will of course vary, depending on the age of the students.

The common theme taught in schools should be that women are not an alien category to be “othered” or a sex to be objectified just because men (and some women) have the institutional clout to do so.

Arguably, attitudes towards women may not be a concern for all Malaysians, with more “bread and butter” issues, such as the price of basic necessities, and daily survival at the fore.

Nevertheless, gender itself is and should be seen as a basic issue; not only does it entail how much a woman earns but, as mentioned before, it determines her non-material standard of living too.

Emphasising the importance of gender equality in schools will make the difference between whether a woman is viewed as a woman in her own right or as a creature that causes sexual tension in men, meriting derogatory comments to nullify the sexual conundrum caused.

The new government’s promise to ensure greater gender representation is, well, promising.

However, there needs to be a match between a symbolic representation of women in the government and an encultured attitude of respect towards the woman on the street.

Imad Alatas is an FMT reader.