A series of posters by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry on how women can maintain a harmonious home environment under the Covid-19 movement control order has raised the ire of women over their sexist messaging.
They consider the posts demeaning towards women, with two deemed particularly insulting.
One poster advises women who work from home to dress up and put on makeup – to stay focused and productive.
Another shows a couple hanging the laundry together with the advice: “If you see your spouse doing something you don’t like, don’t lecture. Use a humorous approach instead by saying, “This is how you hang the laundry, dear” (and imitate Doraemon’s voice followed by a giggle!).”
Both posters were met with sarcasm and derision by social media users on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, where the ministry had posted them.
On Instagram, the poster on putting on makeup and dressing up at home for work-from-home women was greeted with shock.
“Seriously? This is from our gov(ernment)?? This is a joke,” said one user, while others called it “backward” advice.
“Why does the ministry always look at some petty issues instead of looking at the bigger picture? Can we look at more productive stuff please? Sigh, what utter nonsense,” said Instagram user Rubenee Asokumar.
“The most stupid post I have seen during this MCO. Whoever wrote this please resign,” said another.
On Facebook, more commenters told the ministry to be more progressive in its thinking and focus on real issues.
Yee Ping Tan: “It’s already 2020, please progress! Focus on more important matters for women! Child marriage, single mothers, domestic violence, please!”
Janice Tan: “You are the most sexist department!”
Jaime Lee: “We should be focusing on how women can empower one another and maintaining mental health instead of worrying about keeping up with their appearances at home.”
Chee Wing Ming: “Women don’t need your advice to choose what to wear and how they present themselves. Pay more attention to their basic rights and legal protections rather than their appearance.”
“How is this going to empower women or help any household other than, maybe, Doraemon’s? Please, change the minister and her deputy because not only is this not helpful, it is harmful,” said freelance writer Lois Kam, 47.
Lawyer and women’s rights activist Honey Tan reacted strongly, saying the ministry should be focused on real problems at home such as domestic violence.
“OMG! This is what Rina, our Minister of Women, Family & Community Development thinks is important during the #COVID19 lockdown? No tips on how to deal with #DomesticViolence? Just state DV is a crime,” Tan tweeted.
Taking to her Twitter, former law minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said criticised the tips as politically incorrect and misogynistic.
“#KPWKM, the memes are politically incorrect, promote gender bias & perpetuate misogyny. I’m disappointed that the Ministry is condoning messages which go against the empowerment of women & gender equality. #definitelyXdoraemonvoice #sdggoal5” she wrote.
The public service announcements (PSAs) also did not go down well with feminist groups.
“These posters stereotype women as being bossy and naggy,” says Women’s Aid Organisation’s advocacy officer, Tan Heang-Lee.
“They also send the message that it’s women’s responsibility to change their behaviour in order to avoid conflict at home. 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 Asia-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women, Sivananthi Thanenthiran said that the messaging on the poster infantalised women.
“It implies that the only way a woman’s advice is going to be taken into consideration is if she talks like a cartoon character.
“The messages also reinforce that household concord depends on women and how we handle these smaller issues and, somehow, discord and the violence that stems from that depends on women’s actions, words and responses.
“In reality, a man uses either verbal or physical violence simply because he is a violent person,” said Sivananthi, adding that these messages would not help women faced with verbal, emotional and physical violence during the movement control order (MCO).
Karen Lai, programme director at Women’s Centre for Change in Penang, said negative stereotypes of women as subordinate to men were at the root of gender inequality and ultimately led to discrimination and violence against women.
“The implicit message is that men are allowed to slack off on domestic work and it’s women who must follow up with them, but that they should only do so nicely.
“The ministry has the responsibility to promote healthy role models for women, families and communities. The ministry must stay well away from such stereotypes and instead focus on empowering women’s agency and self-confidence whether in the home or public sphere.
“Women have the right to speak up about how they feel without having to be labelled as nags and certainly without needing to stoop to becoming cartoon characters,” says Lai.
Given the increased risk of domestic violence during the MCO, the ministry should be doing more domestic violence prevention public service announcements, said Tan.
It was reported that since the MCO, the ministry’s Talian Kasih hotline had seen a 57% increase in calls from women in distress.
In a statement, Empower Malaysia said it was shocked at the ministry’s lack of gender sensitivity and knowledge of women’s rights.
“At a time when women in Malaysia fear losing their jobs due to Covid-19, it is shocking that the ministry’s advice is for women to be more concerned about the way she looks and that she should wear makeup?
“Empower Malaysia views the series of Instagram graphics by the ministry to be in poor taste and continues to perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes.
“This is an unacceptable conduct by those in public office. This also showcases the fact that the ministry is not up to the task of protecting and promoting women’s rights,” Empower said.
The All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) expressed dismay at the lack of sensitivity and awareness displayed by the poster on how mothers should behave while being stuck at home due to the MCO.
“The poster that suggested women used an infantile voice imitating a popular kid’s cartoon character to placate their husbands (who may have to do housework) is extremely condescending both to women and men.
“The posters also suggest that gender roles in the households are such that women are housewives and men are breadwinners.
“It lacks respect and awareness of society in the modern times,” said AWAM’s programme and operations manager Nisha Sabanayagam.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry had already come under criticism earlier when they decided to temporarily close a hotline dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence when the MCO had just been enforced.