A voice for the discriminated

Women share their stories to show how widespread gender discrimination is

PETALING JAYA: From having someone hang up calls on them or asking them not to get pregnant to being ignored in job opportunities, women experiencing gender discrimination at work took to invisiblewomen.com. my to share about their experiences.

One woman working in the oil and gas sector said she had taken a preinterview call from a potential employer only to be snubbed when she told him she was in confinement after giving birth.

“Called me while I was in confinement as I was highly recommended for the job. As soon as I said I’m in my confinement and I can’t go for the immediate interview, the caller put down the phone.

“I was so shocked. I felt I was put on trial and was found guilty for giving birth,” she wrote on the microsite which was set up by the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) as part of its recently launched campaign against gender discrimination at work. The woman chose to remain anonymous.

Another woman, LR, wrote that during an interview at a law firm, the managing partner asked her if she had plans to get married and have children.

“He commented that many young women who start jobs have a habit of getting pregnant and taking maternity leave.

“I found that completely offensive! As a feminist, it was important for me to have an employer who respected women’s rights. However, I didn’t confront or argue with him because I was afraid I wouldn’t get the job. “I got the job but I turned it down,” she said. “I was not given the same opportunities as my male colleagues in terms of working on highincome files. This then translated to less earnings and I was not able to achieve my performance targets. As a result, I was denied incentives such as bonus payments,” wrote Pinkmagnolia, who works in the legal industry.

Unfortunately, she admitted that she did not do anything because she felt that it was pointless to raise such issues to a male superior.

WAO is calling for women who had experienced gender discrimination at work to speak up and share their stories. Women can share their stories – anonymously, if they prefer – through the campaign microsite, invisible women.com.my.

“A WAO survey revealed that 40% of pregnant women experience discrimination at work. We now want to put stories to this statistic. To show the tangible impact of gender discrimination on women’s lives,” said its president, Carol Chin, in a statement.

“We want a groundswell of women sharing their stories, to show how widespread gender discrimination is – and why we need better laws,” said Chin.

“Currently, there is no law that specifically prohibits gender discrimination in the private sector. Our end goal is to advocate for a Gender Equality Act, which will protect against gender discrimination. We need the public’s input and support to push for this Act.”

The campaign will culminate in an art exhibition featuring women’s stories from March 8 to 18, 2018 at the White Box Theatre, Publika. The campaign is supported by the British High Commission.

To learn more about the campaign, visit invisiblewomen.com.my.