• The women of Sunway share their thoughts in promoting gender equality.

Being a female employee in Sunway College is as good as being a male. I speak from experience, as all teaching faculty members are treated equally in allocations of privileges and opportunities. I am proud to say that we are part of a community that celebrates equality with no evidence of gender bias.
– DR. SALLY ANNE MALAR S. PARAMANATH, AUSMAT lecturer, Sunway College –

I remember chatting with my lecturer about my future career goals and my desired position in the hospitality industry in the next 10 years. She told me it was impossible. After a while, my lecturer said,
“It is because you are female.”

She went on to explain that most leaders in the industry were male due to their more rational nature – implying that men do a better job in separating their personal and professional life, allowing them to perform and lead better than women who are deemed more emotional.

While I do not disagree entirely with her viewpoint, I am not inclined to agree with it either. I believe this does not apply to everyone, as all of us are born with different personalities. Everyone deserves a chance to prove that they are the right fit for any job position, whether male or female.- LIONG JIA EN, Intern Learning & Development Department Sunway Group –

I know a handful of female employees who would cringe at the thought of being identified as feminine – including myself. I have often encountered female lecturers who convince themselves to go barefaced although they are experts when it comes to make-up. We swap our decent, bright dresses for powerful grey suit trousers, subconsciously attempting to imitate our male counterparts. In our quest to be seen as strong, independent women, we subtly conjure a stereotype for femininity.

Gender equality is embracing the fact that women should be respected for openly being their true selves – feminine or not. During lectures, instead of telling our girls to speak up and downplay their beauty, perhaps we should reconcile the fact that femininity is both a privilege and a gift.- ANGELICIA ANTHONY THANE, Lecturer, Sunway Foundation Programme –

Both parents play an equally important role in child-raising and even in managing a household.

Cultural factors are a big part of the impediment towards gender equality, more so in Asia where there are gender stereotypes of men being the breadwinners and women as caregivers.

A woman’s career is as important as a man’s because women have much to contribute with their different skill set. Organisations need to implement practices that advocate gender equality, such as promoting gender-neutral career paths, ensuring performance reviews are not prejudiced against working mothers and making gender equality a practice in talent recruitment.- SHANIZ CHAN, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, Sunway Medical Centre –