A 2018 study from the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) found that though women make up half of the working age population in the country, they only make up 40 percent of the workforce. The Khazanah report shared that the gender gap in the workforce is mostly attributed to the higher barrier for women who want to enter the workforce compared to the men. In a news report this year, the KRI chairman, Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop mentioned that more flexible work arrangement, support for care work and men stepping up for childcare need to happen in order for more women to join the workforce. Women in the workforce is only the tip of the iceberg.
A 2019 report from the Department of Statistics regarding the Statistics of Women Empowerment in Selected Domains shared that for every RM100 that a man earns, a woman earns a bit less at RM93.20. Other than the gender wage gap, gender roles and expectations in our society are among the things that prohibit women from staying at the top of the workforce or choose to become entrepreneurs. Topics like these concerning women are among those that MWAW aims to examine and understand to share to the general public.
The MWAW team spoke to our publisher, Ms. Ameena Siddiqi in order to learn more about the magazine, its purpose as a women’s platform and the digital media realm.
All About MWAW
MWAW stands for Malaysian Women at Work. It is a curated digital platform for the career-oriented discerning woman. Ameena wanted to highlight that women are always at work, may it be at a professional or personal setting. “Even after a nine to five job, a mother returns home and needs to take care of their husbands and kids, parents, their siblings and so on. The nurturing part is still work, so work never ends,” she explained. She added that the nurturing role at home isn’t recognised properly as work when it should be.
When we inquired on the reason behind the establishment of MWAW, she shared that she wanted a place to highlight women and their contributions, a stage or a spotlight for them to a certain extent. “When you look at our history since the Merdeka days, there have been a lot of contributions that women made but they’re not as well-known as compared to the men.” she said. The women could be politicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, doctors, housewives and so on, but there has never been only one specific platform that shines a light on progressive and successful women.
Another reason was to pass on important information or knowledge. The digital magazine aims to provide a one-stop learning centre for women to get the knowledge they so righteously crave and desire.
“If you have knowledge, you can make a well-informed decision based on your own knowledge rather than make a decision cluelessly." - Ameena Siddiqi
MWAW Vision and Mission
The grand picture for MWAW is to have an ecosystem for women to fall back on; not only as a support system or a place to celebrate women, but also as a voice that can address and amplify everyday problems that women face. Ameena awaits the day that women will come up to MWAW and share their problems so they can highlight problems faced by women within our society. As a representative of the media, MWAW can pass on the information gathered to the general public.
Ameena shared her thoughts on gender equality. She hopes to see a world where women need not be cautious in the workforce one day. After years of working and observing the workforce, she hopes to see more women participation in nation building despite their circumstances. No woman should have to quit or sacrifice her job due to family. She had to quit her job to cater to family responsibilities at a point in her life but she did not give up on her career. “I was lucky that I was young that after I quit the workforce, I could still go back and I had my English Degree too. What about women with no qualifications or experience? They can’t always go back.”
She also wanted to address certain behaviours that are expected from women. For instance, some women are expected to quit the workforce to care for their children or tender in their resignation due to lower wages as compared to their male counterparts. Discussing all these occurrences in our society through the magazine and informing the public is one small step towards improving the conditions of the nation.
Women in the workforce, then and now
Being a woman in the workforce is not a walk in the park. Working women everywhere have to undergo many things from harassment to unequal pay.
“People can say things to you that are derogatory but they don't realize that. We can get it for being a woman or simply for being young,” she said. Perhaps gender equality is taken on a more serious note these days due to the spread of awareness on the issue, however, companies need to step up and implement actual policies within their organisations.
Current circumstances are not making it any easier for women in the workforce as well. Due to the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have gotten used to the new normal of working from home. Even then, women still have it harder than their male counterparts. Malaysian women working from home these days are still expected to carry out their duties for their family such as preparing food, doing chores and so forth.
The best way for working women to counter this is to have a mutual understanding with their partner, parents or families on the boundaries of work and home responsibilities. Make sure that everyone in the household contributes to the housework and that everyone respects each other’s work schedules while working from home.
Women and Motherhood
Ameena feels that when one enters motherhood, it's all about balancing and prioritising. Sometimes the children are very important, sometimes it can be your career or spouse.
Motherhood is hard and she doesn't know why some people make it look like it's an easy feat. Having four sons herself, people think it is easy but she doesn't think so. As a mother, she says they can go through horrible teenage years and cited that boys can have their own PMS-es that are worse than what teenage girls would go through.
Ameena also mentioned that mothers play a vital role for their children. If a mother is strong and independent, then she is more likely to pass on those traits to her children.
In order to teach them to have respect for women, for example, mothers must teach their children themselves to do so. She said, "It's important for women to realize that not only do they need to be nurturing to their children, they need to cultivate respect for women." As the saying goes, charity begins at home. If people start to respect the women at home, then they will respect women outside of their homes. Ameena wholeheartedly agrees with this statement.
Publications: to go digital or not
It is safe to say that the year 2020 brought out not only a global pandemic, it also catapulted the importance of going digital for world economies to continue moving forward. As a figure with decades of experience in the publishing industry, one that is predominantly reliant on physical publications in Malaysia, Ameena recognises the industry’s need to move with the times.
“Personally, I still love physical publications or the smell and feel of a freshly printed magazine or book. However, it’s a matter of quality of information as well now, where information moves so quickly that yesterday’s information is considered old.” she said. Before this, when technology was less advanced, she believed that information moved at a much slower pace. Rather than going completely digital, she believes that those in publishing houses should find the right balance in both print and digital for their products.
“Personally, I still love physical publications or the smell and feel of a freshly printed magazine or book. However, it’s a matter of quality of information as well now, where information moves so quickly that yesterday’s information is considered old.” - Ameena Siddiqi
Digital Media concerns in current times
As the saying goes, there are always two sides to a coin. While going digital may move us along with the rest of the world, there are still some concerns that are overlooked by a lot of people online. Ameena’s biggest concern on digital media platforms these days is fake news.
She feels that digital media these days need to be more constrained in terms of ethics. The lack of ethics can be seen in many cases including news portals plagiarising from other portals without doing proper research or certain individuals lashing out on their social media accounts on an issue without checking what it’s all about. What happens when netizens find out about these unethical issues? Public
backlash.
“People seem to post whatever they want whenever they want and don’t know how to deal with the backlash that comes after. We need stricter laws and policies regarding ethics for digital media,” said Ameena.
In order to counter the spread of fake news, Ameena suggests for people to do their own homework if they encounter a piece of news online. As a general rule, if three to four news outlets report on the same thing, then it is accepted as valid news.
Another concern of Ameena’s is about creating perceptions. When it comes to perception in the digital world, most people think that whatever is posted on social media is a true representation of their lives. “People post aesthetic photos of food or travel pictures on their social media with big smiles but be in dire need of a friend in the real world but no one will know they suffer from mental health issues or anything because they don’t post them, they create a perception of their ‘perfect’ life” she said.
Just as the way an individual can dictate what image to project on his/her social media, digital media can also create perceptions about certain topics but these perceptions can also be deceiving. If there is an opinion that is being projected, then it is also likely that there is another underlying opinion being hidden. All in all, Ameena believes that digital media is a tool and it must be used wisely.
“People seem to post whatever they want whenever they want and don’t know how to deal with the backlash that comes after. We need stricter laws and policies regarding ethics for digital media." - Ameena Siddiqi
Future Plans for MWAW
Ameena hopes for MWAW to be a platform that people respect and to create a learning centre for women to read about topics such as finance, careers and mental health. The publisher also wants to have MWAW create a platform that women can go to and find everything under one roof so to say that they need, from the right organisations for crowdfunding to entrepreneurial classes and workshops.
Advice for women entrepreneurs
Ameena admits that as someone still learning the ropes as an entrepreneur herself, female entrepreneurs should have a solid and thorough support system. A thorough support system here does not only mean financial security from partnerships or government funds, but also from people around them. Having someone to fall back to, literally and figuratively, in times of hardships always helps. She believes it is best for female entrepreneurs to talk to close friends, family members or their partners if they have any problems with their business.
Another important advice that she has is for female entrepreneurs to have ethics in their business. To this, Ameena says, “Do what you believe in. If you’re confused, do what’s right.” She felt that we must always behave ethically as outlined in our faiths to live as honourable people.
Throughout the span of her career, she noticed that women entrepreneurs need to be twice as strong as compared to men, especially if their business deals with fields other than fashion, beauty and F&B. An advice that she imparts to budding female entrepreneurs is, “Be prepared that it won’t be rosy and times will be tough.”
Not only do female entrepreneurs need to deal with potential inappropriate comments from colleagues, she said that most women aren’t taken seriously and their credentials tend to be downplayed by a lot. She even shared a personal experience where she came across a business where the woman is the mastermind but they put her husband as the front person so that their clients and partners can view them seriously!
Lastly, her advice for young entrepreneurs is to not only look into how they’re making money, but how they can improve society. Contributing to society to help or improve someone else’s life is always the right action to take and it is the most rewarding feeling. She shared that that is exactly what she is aiming to achieve with MWAW.
“If I can help one woman through the MWAW platform, then I have done my job.” - Ameena Siddiqi
Trivia
1. Apart from writing your own biography, what kind of book would you want to write
about?
She would love to write about women's success.
2. You're multilingual, as you can speak 5 languages - Bengali, French, Malay, English, Hindi. If you could learn and master another language, what would it be and why?
She would like to learn Mandarin. In terms of business, it's a great advantage and the Chinese have a long history in the business world. Maybe she could tap into their business sector and see how things work.
3. You're a new addition to the crayon box. What colour would you be and why?
Her first option is pink. To her, the colour pink brings her happiness and lifts up her spirit. Ameena prefers the soft pink compared to the jarring, neon pink ones. Her second colour would be yellow, like the sun. Again, it’s uplifting and the colour makes her happy.
4. How would you solve problems if you were from Venus?
She said, “If I were from Venus, I would fly all the men to Mars!”
5. What kind of tree would you be and why?
Ameena picks the fir tree as it brings happiness at the end of the year during Christmas for a lot of people. She also views the tree as a sign of strength and resilience as it doesn't lose its leaves during the harsh winter.
6. What's your favourite 70s jam?
Love Hurts by Nazareth (1976).
7. What were you like in high school?
According to Ameena, she was rather shy and timid in social settings. She also noted that she wasn’t at all popular but she was surrounded by popular friends in high school.
8. If you could pick a decade to live in, what decade would it be and why?
She chooses to live in this decade. In terms of self-growth, she shared that a lot of things have happened throughout the years, a healthy blend of the good and bad and she wouldn’t change that in any way.
9. Who inspired you to be the person you are now?
Ameena shared that she was inspired by Sheryl Sandberg. She hopes to be someone who can contribute to women just like Sheryl with her ‘lean in’ concept. Her greatest desire would be an opportunity to work along the lines of contributing to women’s treatment and gender equality in the workforce for she hopes to address or contribute to that issue within the Malaysian society someday.
Q&A with Ameena
1. Would you rather be the first female PM of Malaysia OR be the first female astronaut on the moon?
Ameena doesn’t want to be a politician, having been previously married to one before. “I can barely take care of my four sons; how can I take care of 30 million people under me?” she said with a hearty laugh. She is afraid of heights but she would rather go to the moon because being a politician to her is a difficult job with a lot of responsibility. Being a politician means being a leader without reproach and that places a lot of responsibilities on one.
2. Would you rather live in a world with no period pain OR live where both genders experience period pain?
She prefers the second choice. She said, “If I suffer, they suffer too.” Can you imagine a world where men experience period pain too? I wonder what that would be like.
3. Would you rather speak to yourself 10 years in the past OR speak to yourself 10 years in the future?
She would rather talk to her future self as she doesn’t regret her past. She mentioned, “We make decisions and we handle it, good or bad. Being able to handle your decisions is what makes you strong.” Nowadays, she said it’s easy to feel demotivated as things are hard. Ameena always felt that we should look forward rather than back. “The past makes the present; the present makes the future.
Everyday counts, so make it count.” On the plus side, she picked the second choice as she would love to know when COVID-19 stops and when life can go back to normal.
4. Would you rather be invisible OR be able to fly?
Ameena would rather be invisible so she can spy on people!
5. Would you rather be Superman OR be Batman?
She wants to be Superman because she wants the superpowers, super strength, flight, X-ray vision and all that he is born with.
6. Would you rather be able to speak to animals OR be able to speak all foreign languages?
She would rather be able to speak to animals because she wants to know what her cats, Sandy or Elvis are thinking about when they sit with her or when they get stuck on the roof.
7. Would you rather be able to end hunger OR be able to end hatred?
Ameena would rather be able to end hatred as it causes more pain, death and damages compared to hunger. She said, “Governments can implement policies to end hunger. To end hatred worldwide at one go will be a lot harder.”
8. Would you rather be part of an arranged marriage OR be single all your life?
Ameena said she would rather be single and free to mingle. She mentioned that she has nothing against arranged marriages, it is only a matter of personal preference.
9. Would you rather be the richest person in the world OR be the smartest person in the world?
She said she wants to be the richest person in the world so she can hire smart people to work for her instead.
10. Would you rather have people admire you for your good deeds OR have people respect you for your power?
She would rather be admired for her good deeds than for power, HANDS DOWN!
About the publisher
Ms. Ameena Siddiqi possesses more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. With a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature, she began her career as an English and Business Communication lecturer with AMSET College.
She eventually switched to the publishing world where she served in Sasbadi, Editions Diddier Millet, and RYTHM House publishing (QI services).
The fun fact about our founder is that she has edited and/or produced over 50 books!
Now, Ameena runs the MWAW magazine like a boss.
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