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©New
Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Kathirasen
I HAVE a dream, said Martin Luther King Jr. And he went down in history as a
civil rights hero who fought to bring dignity and equality for blacks in the
United States.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri
Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also has a dream.
Her dream is to one day see a woman appointed chief justice of the country.
Not an impossible dream, I think, going by the increasing encroachment (oops! is
that a wrong choice of word?) by women into male territory (is there such a
thing today?).
Addressing the 14th Malaysian Law Conference 2007, Shahrizat said: “There are
many qualified women in the legal profession. I don’t see why, one day not long
from now, we can’t have a woman chief justice. I hope this day will come sooner
rather than later.”
Shahrizat defined gender equality as “an equal sharing of
power, opportunities and access to, as well as, control over resources that will
lead to the equal sharing of results between men and women, boys and girls.”
She trotted out these figures: Only 5 of the 16 judicial commissioners, 13 of
the 48 judges and 3 of the 21 court of appeal judges are women. There is none on
the federal court.
True, with 49.1 per cent of the 26.6 million population being female, one would
expect a bigger role for women in decision-making.
But I think things are changing, what with 61.2 per cent of the students in
government assisted schools being women and more women being fielded as
candidates in general elections.
For instance, recently, three women were appointed vice-chancellors of public
universities and the government has established a cabinet committee on gender
equality chaired by the prime minister, no less.
In arguing for more women to sit on the bench, Shahrizat summoned the Greek
gods. “In Greek mythology,” she related “Pallas Athena was celebrated as the
goddess of reason and justice. To end the cycle of violence that began with
Agamemnon’s sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, Athena created a court of
justice to try Orestes, thereby installing the rule of law in lieu of the reign
of vengeance.”
Even in those days, she seemed to say, women were in a position to sit as
judges. So why not now?
Why not now indeed, especially when 45.7 per cent of registered lawyers in the
country are women?
However, while I am for women holding posts, such as that of chief justice, I
think such appointments should not be made solely on account of their gender.
A person should be appointed chief justice, or whatever, because that person is
the best qualified. Otherwise it could give rise to all sorts of disparaging
remarks.
No woman, I think, would like it to be said that she is occupying a particular
post simply because she is a woman.
But then again, you might never know. Quite a few men occupy posts for which
they have to thank neither their ability nor their seniority.
Among the favourite topics of discussion at coffeeshops and hotel lounges are
major appointments and whether an appointee is there based on merit or some
other reason.
The ideal situation would be where appointments are made on the ability and
intelligence of the candidate, not on gender or ethnicity or connection to
someone in power. This, Shahrizat should know, remains an ideal.
So, while I would like to see more capable people moving up to positions of
power, I don’t think the number of women in decision-making positions is going
to rise speedily.
Asking how best the country could move forward in terms of gender equality,
Shahrizat observed: “ Laws can certainly be passed while policies can easily be
made. However, empowering women and achieving gender equality demands more than
just legal provisions and policy formulations.”
Isn’t that the case with all other things? How often have we seen good policies
screwed up by incompetent implementers or overzealous zealots?
Which is why, I must say, I’m glad that the East Coast Economic Region and the
Northern Corridor Economic Region are private-sector driven.
Shahrizat said: “Remembering the past, I am heartened by the progress we have
made in striving towards gender equality.
“However, we must take it from the realm of rhetoric to the practice of
reality.”
I sympathise with her. Ask anyone on the streets and he will have a handful of
major issues that still remain in the realm of rhetoric. Equality — gender
included — will have to remain a dream.
In the state of nature ... all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in
this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the
protection of the law. — Charles de Montesquieu
But the home minister is almost always a woman
EVEN if Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s dream does not come true, she should
take heart.
According to a study conducted by Northwestern University, USA, the best bosses
are inspirational mentors.
These chiefs are like good teachers who encourage their subordinates to develop
their organisations, and, the study found, women are more likely than men to do
this.
This style of management is called “transformational” as opposed to the
traditional carrot-and-stick system termed “transactional".
Reports quoted the lead author of the study, Professor Alice Eagly, as saying:
“The study shows they are not only doing just as well as men, but they are doing
better.”
This, she added, was probably because the transformational leadership style
included something women are good at — nurturing.
And if that is not enough to make Shahrizat smile, how about this: women rule
the roost.
University of Iowa researchers found, after a two-year study, that women have
more power at home.
I suppose that’s why men always refer to their wives as the home minister.
A total of 72 couples, married for about seven years, were videotaped and
observed talking about diverse topics, including money and housework.
Although most were European-American, there were also Asians, Hispanics and
African-Americans. They were all identified as being happy in their marriages.
Reports quoted the lead author of the study, David Vogel, as saying: “It’s sort
of the opposite from what a lot of research had been suggesting.”
Vogel, an associate professor of psychology, was quoted as saying: “The study at
least suggests that marriage is a place where women can exert some power.
“Whether or not it’s because of changing societal roles, we don’t know. But they
are, at least, taking responsibility and power in these relationships.”
I believe if a study were to be done in Malaysia, we shall get similar results.
In the course of my career as a journalist, I have seen how men — especially
those who are above 40 — tend not to disagree too much with their wives.
Some don’t do it because they can’t get a word in; other’s have given up trying
to have it their way; and some others just want to be left alone in peace.
I think I have mentioned this joke, told by a friend, before: “In my house, I am
the general and my wife is the major. I make all the general decisions and she
makes all the major ones.”
So, it appears that women have power where it really matters.
And if Shahrizat is still not convinced, let me cite another study.
Bram van den Bergh and Siegfried Dewitte, of the University of Leuven in
Belgium, found that men become almost putty-like when they see a pretty woman.
The sight of an alluring woman, they found, sends testosterone coursing through
the veins of men, resulting in a disruption to their decision-making skills.
No wonder, the women spies and secret agents in movies (and I believe in real
life too) are always beautiful or sexy or both. Many men secretly desire to be
James Bonds and The Saints, just to be in the arms of these nymphs.
The study showed that men exposed to “sexual cues” were more prepared to accept
unfair play than men who did not.
I think there is some truth to this. I have seen women exhibiting these “sexual
cues” and I have seen men going gaga.
A friend related the story of a former colleague who used to pull up her blouse,
tantalisingly, every few minutes when a former boss was around. Each time she
pulled up her one button unbuttoned blouse, his eyes would be drawn to her
chest.
As his testosterone levels shot up, her pay went up. My friend said he was not
certain what else went up.
Needless to say, her rise up the management hierarchy was rather speedy.
Men with high testosterone levels, the study found, are the most vulnerable.
As I said, Shahrizat and women in general should not be worried that there are
too few top women decision makers. What is more important, as wise women know,
is influencing the decision makers without being in the line of fire.
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