| Siti Hajar |
YEARS after tabling the issue of gender equity in the country, where women have primarily been at the helm of this social movement, it was mentioned yesterday that the time has come to involve men in this particular conversation.
As Brunei continues to see self-empowerment among its women, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Othman yesterday said, “Men are equal partners in our society and we cannot move without the other half,” signalling that social stereotypes in Brunei require revisions.
“If we do not get the men on board it would be very hard for us to realise gender equity. We have to have commitment to address gender issues from all sectors and not just half of the society,” she pointed out during an interview with the media on the sidelines of the World Assembly for Women (WAW!) Brunei Darussalam 2015 which took place at the CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre in Rimba.
With half the battle progressing well with more women compared to men being recorded entering tertiary education, according to 2011 statistics facilitated by equal opportunities for both genders, among the challenges that need to be addressed now include convincing women they have the ability to contend with their male counterparts.
“Women have to convince themselves that they can do it. They doubt themselves and they wonder if they are capable,” explained Datin Paduka Hajah Adina, adding that their concerns are no different than the concerns of men.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Hajah Adina binti Othman (2L) at the World Assembly for Women (WAW!) forum with Ambassador of the Republic of France to Brunei Darussalam Loan Forgeron (2R), Ambassador of Japan to Brunei Darussalam Noriko Iki (L) and Canadian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Marina Laker. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
“We should go against our own insecurities and believe in ourselves,” and as women continue to change their mindsets, the men can then follow suit.
With the rising trend of women now getting even more involved in the private and government sectors as well as their participation in Non-Government Organisations, the inclusion of men in empowering women can be complementary to developing a society where equity is needed.
“We see a lot of young positive women and it is the men we have to include.”
During a podium discussion as part of yesterday’s gathering, the deputy minister said that challenges women face at the moment include the lack of disaggregated data as a means to provide more comprehensive information on women participation in society, work-life balance, and technical expertise on gender issues as well as capacity building.
The World Assembly for Women, which took root in Japan following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s announcement for such a need in 2013, noted that this year it aims to promote a ‘Society Where All Women Shine.’ Those taking centre stage included entrepreneurs as well as social and economic influencers at the podium discussion on women and the economy.
Apart from acknowledging the contributions of women and the progress they have notched over the past decade (where the discussion of women issues became mainstream), the celebration in Brunei received the support of some of the country’s leading international women, including Ambassador of Japan to Brunei Darussalam Noriko Iki, Ambassador of France to Brunei Darussalam Loan Forgeron and Canadian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Marina Laker.
As they discussed their respective countries’ initiative and progress towards cultivating societies where gender gaps are reduced across the board, the women shared that their governments have introduced new policies and measures to ensure that women are treated equally in the fields of, among others, politic and employment opportunities.
In France, there are now four public institutions in charge of women’s rights, including the Ministry of State for Women’s Rights, while Japan is set to enforce the Bill for Promotion of Women’s Participation and Advancement in the Workplace in April that requires public and private sectors to draw up action plans for women advancement in the workforce. In Canada, a movement has been initiated to further empower women entrepreneurs as female majority-owned Small and Medium Enterprises contributed an estimated $148 billion in economic activity in 2011.