Speaking to FMT, she said on one hand, a lot of work was needed to get rid of the popular view of women as the weaker sex.
When she served as a councillor, she said, one of her duties was to go on inspection rounds.
This, she said, entailed checking on drains and pipes, among other things.
“I often got people remarking that women would not want to get their hands dirty,” she told FMT.
She also pointed out the viral incident of a man criticising Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar over her dressing while on air.
“The fact that you have a fellow Malaysian airing his views in public on a live talk show over his personal dissatisfaction with a woman’s style of dressing shows you that Malaysia has to work on these gender equality issues.
“Men don’t get remarks about their dressing.
“Just look at the public’s comments on our new Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. People say that she is too soft, just based on her demure looks.”
On the other hand, she said, people had passed remarks on former minister Azalina Othman Said, saying she was too tough-looking for a woman.
“These are some of the remarks women have to endure as a political representative. But men seldom get these kinds of comments.”
Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng, meanwhile, said the government needed to tackle the problem of women’s difficulties in re-entering the workforce after marrying and having children.
“Many women find it hard to re-enter the job market as they are often viewed as housewives and not capable of helming a job after they have started a family.
“This is one of the issues the government needs to address. It may take a longer time but, with enough political will, changes can take place,” she said.
She said with the right changes in place, such as establishing an anti-discrimination act, gender inequality issues could be better handled.
Ng noted that more women were now coming forward to voice their discontent over current issues.
“However, this still needs to be worked on as the women in rural areas may not be as empowered as those in the urban areas,” she added.
Why don’t more women enter politics?
A young working adult, Sharon Tan, said one of the reasons women are discouraged from entering politics may be due to the perception that it is male-dominated.
“Just look at the previous Barisan Nasional government, and the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“There is still a long way to go to break that glass ceiling. For all we know, there may be many capable female politicians and leaders, but they are just not given the opportunity to rise in the ranks and realise their full potential.
“So it could be a case of, ‘I don’t think I can go very far here, so why should I get involved?’” she said.
Tan added that women “wear many hats”, have many responsibilities, and are busy making a living. Hence, she said, they do not really have time to think about politics.
“For some, it is not just about being a woman. They are also wives, mothers, and daughters.
“Many could be career women, and at the same time, they have their own families to care for.
“Those who manage to balance this, with their involvement in politics, I believe they are making a lot of sacrifices. And they have a very good support system,” she said.
Jasmine Abu Bakar, another young working adult, said women who were not well educated were less likely to enter politics.
“They would be keener to secure jobs to make a living, unless they intend to use politics to change their lives, or the lives of others. But I think these are more the exception than the norm,” she said.
Jasmine added that in some cultures, women are supposed to stay at home and take care of their families.
“Hence, they are not encouraged or rather do not see the need to go into politics,” she said.
Asked if it could be because of the lack of political education, she said politics had started off as being male-dominated, not just in Malaysia but also globally.
“It did take a while for women to be accepted into the political fold.
“The trend has always been that it is male-dominated, so when women see this, they are inclined to think maybe it is not the place for them.
“Of course, for women who are actually in politics, they might have absorbed the political knowledge and eventually developed an interest in politics,” she said.
Last week, women’s rights groups held a rally to remind the PH government that at least eight ministers should be women if it planned to have 25 ministries.
The gathering at the Istana Negara Gate 2, organised by the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, urged the PH government to fulfil its promise of a minimum 30% representation in the highest policy-making body in Malaysia.
Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor executive director Angela M Kuga Thas said more women were needed in the Cabinet as they had different experiences and perspectives to contribute to development solutions.