I Am Muslim

My home internet connection is wonky, hence the lack of blog updates.

Anyway, yes, I was there  last week:

And it was a fun night out, a respite from work and studies. Chet, Sharon and a few high-profile bloggers who I had the privilege to meet that night for the first time have written up about the event, so I’ll let you read their account.

Suffice to say, I wish I had immediately bought one copy of I Am Muslim, because by the time the above poster was unfurled, all the copies were sold out!! So I went to a book launch but didn’t get the book!

Moral of the story: When you see something you like, and you can afford to buy it, don’t hesitate.

Warm congratulations to Dina, for the well-deserved publishing recognition.

Filed under: Books, Personal Note, Playing Favourites

Why Women Leave the Corporate Sector

Further to my post on women where I lamented the lack of incentives for Malaysian companies to offer flexible working hours or provide childcare facilities for employees, this Guardian UK article drives home the point that a lot of women leave the corporate sector to take care of their kids. While the article refers to the UK corporate sector, I believe the findings are equally relevant for Malaysia.

An analysis of the number of women in senior management positions in the 350 biggest companies listed on the stock market shows a dramatic fall in the last five years, according to new research published today. PricewaterhouseCoopers, which commissioned the research, believes that the increasing cost of childcare and a new-found entrepreneurial streak in women may be among the factors for a 40% fall in women holding senior management positions.

“Why women jump off the career ladder” (Guardian UK, 7 March)

Apparently, PWC’s research found that among FTSE 350 companies, the number of senior management posts held by women had fallen to 22% in 2006 from almost 40% in 2002 while Cranfield University School of Management’s annual analysis of FTSE 100 companies found that the number of directorships held by women fell in 2006 after rising steadily in previous years. The smaller number of women holding senior management posts in the FTSE 350 is regarded as significant since these are the women who might one day reach boardroom level, says the article.

While there has been a sharp increase in women undertaking entrepreneurial projects, this is ostensibly driven by the need to control their own time. “We find that when women have a family they find life in big private sector companies is not feasible. There’s not enough flexibility,” says Jackie Brierton, director of policy for Prowess, which supports women starting new businesses. She points out that men also opt out of corporate life to set up on their own but when they do, they tend to be leaving higher-ranking positions and have more money to support their endeavours.

Lack of flexibility and rising childcare costs are cited as the reasons for the exodus of women from corporate life. I do not have the statistics for Malaysia but from anecdotal evidence, I know of a handful of my female peers – and older “sisters” – who have left the corporate sector to better take care of their children. There are others as well who opt into part-time positions. For the most part, they are happy with their decisions. But what about the rest of us who have families and high career ambitions? Are we supposed to choose one over the other, and feel guilty and unfulfilled for the rest of our lives?

Of course, women can’t have it all. The “superwoman” notion is outdated and – quite frankly – unrealistic. But as more and more women enter the workforce, it’s incumbent on companies to fashion corporate policies to be kinder towards career mothers. The government, too, has an important role to play in ensuring that the female population gets an equal opportunity to exercise their talents to the fullest in the corporate world.

“Companies need to work hard to ensure that talented people have every opportunity to continue their careers as their circumstances and needs change throughout their working lives,” said Sarah Churchman, head of diversity at PwC. “Women at the top are making some progress but at this rate there is going to be a limited pipeline from the next generation to follow this up.”

Filed under: Newsprint, Women, Work & Productivity

International Women’s Day

It’s today, March 8, an international day to celebrate women and the strides females have made.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements. While there are many large-scale initiatives, a rich and diverse fabric of local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Source: IWD

There’s a page devoted to IWD in our local papers but scant little attention elsewhere. Only Victoria’s Station advertised a celebratory message in our print media.

I’m not surprised given how I was unaware of the significance of today if not for an email forwarded by Sharon. I am surprised though at the findings of a study conducted by Shamsir Jasani Grant Thornton that found Malaysia to be the third highest ranking country in the world when it comes to women in senior management positions in MLEs (medium to large enterprises). According to the study, 85% of MLEs have women in senior management positions. What’s also surprising is that Philippines and China are first and second, respectively, while countries like the US, Singapore and Britain are 13, 14 and 17.

That’s great news for Malaysian women but before we bring out the cake and bid farewell to the glass ceiling, the survey admitted that in terms of numbers, only 23% of senior management positions in the MLEs are filled by women. That means that although 85% of MLEs have women in their senior positions (and keep in mind, all it takes is just one woman in a senior position for the MLE to say yes to the survey question), when you calculate the number of senior positions in total, women constitute less than a quarter of the population.

Still, it’s not a shabby showing, considering Malaysia is only 50 years old, and has to battle with quite a lot of cultural, traditional, and religious baggage where women are concerned. I am still looking forward to the day when I can open a “Malaysia’s Most Successful” or “Malaysia’s Richest” spread in a magazine like Malaysian Business or The Edge and find a good number of females among the dark suited males that are usually featured. There are usually less than five when features like these are run, and though success can and should be measured by other means, I find it hard to believe that women cannot make it where the men have gone, if that’s where they want to go. 

The study also pointed out that women managers are likely to dominate positions in accounting, human resources, public affairs (PR), communications, advertising, healthcare and the law, and attributed this to “natural” tendencies of the gender as well as by employee and employer leanings. Hmmmm.

I myself am aware that there’s a heavy concentration of females in sectors of communications, PR, and to a lesser extent, advertising, and would only like to point out that so far, in my own survey of Malaysian corporations, the path to the CEO’s office has never originated from PR, Corp Comms, or HR. This is not to say that these departments are not important, they are, only that if you aspire to be CEO, or in a very senior position in a big corporation (CFO, COO, for instance), you should be aware that these departments won’t lead you there. That’s my observation.  

The influence of religion and culture in Malaysia weighs heavily on women and family policies. As Marina Mahathir points out in her excellent write-up to commemorate today:

And here in Malaysia, it has been over a year since the Islamic Family Law was forcibly passed through Parliament and then immediately sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for review.Many consultations have been held with many NGOs but to this day, there has been no news on what the result of these consultations have been and what will happen next. As long as the law stays as it is, Muslim women in Malaysia remain at an inferior status to their non-Muslim sisters with regards to their rights in marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance.

We have not done badly, as a nation, in our treatment of women, but we can do so much better to tap into the talents and skills of this half of the population. This is the half of the population that usually bears the load of family responsibilities in the event of break-ups or marital discord, and the unique situations faced by the women of this country, in particular Muslim women, should be addressed.

Our Ministry must do more to protect and champion the rights of women in this country in terms of education (does our Ministry vet through our textbooks and ensure that syllabuses are taught in a way that does not teach children to gender-stereotype from an early age? Children in school are still being taught that polygamy is okay without being told of the responsibilities and consequences), family laws and policies (we have made strides in Syariah courts but not sufficient to ensure justice for wives and mothers; working mothers still find it tough to balance work and childcare because there are not enough incentives given to companies to offer facilities or flexi-time to career Moms), and not just focus on giving aid and charity. The latter treats symptoms whereas the former can ensure that the future is brighter for all Malaysian women. And when Malaysian women are truly given an equal platform to compete and succeed, the whole country will benefit.

I would urge our Minister (who I have been told is a wonderful person) to take a stronger stand on women’s issues and to be ever vigilant against gender chauvinism in policy-making. There are times, Madam Minister, when you have to very tough and not give way.

I recommend again a visit to Marina’s blogpost, as it gives an excellent round-up of events concerning women all around the world.

Filed under: Malaysiana, Newsprint, Women