Ministry faces backlash over posters
Activists: Visuals promote sexist and harmful stereotypes of women
A series of posters on “Kebahagian Rumahtangga” (Household Happiness) posted on the Women and Family Development Ministry’s Facebook page has raised the ire of women due to sexist messaging that not only stereotypes women but also insinuates that they are responsible for domestic conflict.
In one poster showing a caricature of a woman and a man hanging clothes out to dry, the message reads: Jika melihat pasangan melakukan sesuatu yang bercanggah dengan kehendak kita, elakkan dari berleter – gunakan perkataan “humorous” seperti “cara sidai baju macam ni lah sayangku” (tiru nada Doraemon dan diikuti dengan gelak manja).
Translation: If your spouse does something you don’t like, don’t nag. Use humour and tell him: “This is the way to hang the clothes, my darling.” (Use Doraemon-like tone and giggle).
This spurred women’s rights activists to demand that the minister concerned, Datuk Seri Rina Harun, remove the posters.
“Tiru nada Doraemon? How will this empower women or help any household other than, maybe, Doraemon? Please, change the minister and her deputy as not only is this not helpful, it is harmful,” said freelance writer Lois Kam, 47.
Women’s Aid Organisation advocacy officer Tan Heang-Lee said the posters stereotyped women as being “bossy and naggy”.
It also sends the message that it is the women’s responsibility to change their behaviour in order to avoid conflict at home, she added.
“It’s very one-sided. What about the man’s responsibility? So if fights or abuse were to happen, do these posters imply that it’s the women’s fault?” she asked.
Executive director of the AsiaPacific Resource and Research
Centre for Women Sivananthi Thanenthiran said the posters labelled women as being immature.
“It implies that the only way a woman’s advice will be taken into consideration is if she talks like a cartoon character,” she said, adding that this would not help women who face verbal, emotional and physical violence during the movement control order (MCO) period.
It was reported that since the MCO was enforced, the ministry’s Talian Kasih hotline had seen a 57% increase in calls from women in distress.
Penang Women’s Centre for Change programme director Karen Lai said the negative stereotypes of women as subordinates to men were at the root of gender inequality in society and might ultimately lead to discrimination and violence against women.
“The implicit message is that men are allowed to slack off on domestic work and it’s the women who must follow through with them, but they should only do so nicely.
“The ministry has the responsibility to promote healthy role models for women, families and communities. It must stay away from such stereotypes and focus instead on empowering women’s agency and self-confidence whether in the home or public sphere,” she said.
Sisters in Islam executive director Rozana Isa said the posters were degrading and sexist as it supported the notion that women must resort to infantile language and mannerisms to ask their husbands to help with household chores.
“The ministry’s responsibility is to safeguard women and children and should be promoting healthy role models for women, families and communities to combat stereotypes of women being inferior to men,” she added.
The All Women’s Action Society expressed dismay over the posters, which it said “lack respect and awareness of society in modern times”.
“Many men do perform household chores and do them well. These posters promote the concept of gender inequality and perpetuate patriarchy, which can have negative consequences over time,” it said.
Later in the evening, the ministry backtracked on the posters, saying it had received responses from various groups.
“We apologise if certain tips were not appropriate and touched on the sensitivities of certain groups.
“We will be more careful in future,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Instagram.