An Overview of the Women Summit 2006
In 2006, the theme of The Women’s Summit tackled a very pertinent question that underlies any effort to create an equitable workforce: Are Women Ready for Key Positions? Choices, Chances & Challenges.
The fourth Women’s Summit held on August 24 2006 was another stimulating instalment in this series of events run by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development as part of its commitment to addressing issues faced by women in the workforce.
With the theme Are Women Ready for Key Positions? Choices, Chances and Challenges, the Summit was an opportunity for the 1,400 women that had gathered there to be inspired, motivated and challenged by a number of high calibre speakers and the debate and discussions that followed.
In her Welcome Address, Datuk Faizah Mohd Tahir, the Ministry’s Secretary General noted the disparity between the number of women in tertiary institutions with the number occupying top positions in practically all sectors of Malaysian society. The fact that women seem to be stopping short of leadership positions or exiting the workplace altogether is one of the reasons for the theme of this year’s event. As a platform for women to express their concerns and views, she emphasised the role of this year’s Summit in identifying the causes for this trend so that the Ministry can formulate and implement more effective and relevant policies for women in Malaysia.
The Minister, Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, in her Keynote Address, elaborated that women bring important characteristics to leadership and decision making positions. Their unique perspectives, creativity, collaborative and caring spirit enrich the working environment and are qualities are badly needed in a developing a nation looking for ways to meet the challenges of globalisation without compromising the quality of life and the integrity of the family unit. At the same time, it is no secret that women face incredible pressure as they struggle to balance the demands of work and home. As traditional caregivers, many women are sandwiched between caring for young children and elderly parents. At the same time, they face an employment environment in which top level positions demand a willingness to dedicate themselves to work, often to the exclusion of almost everything else. In addition, women in Malaysia must contend with outmoded perceptions of gender specific roles and expectations of women in society. For example, women with ambition are frustrated by notions that theirs is a support role and it is ‘unfeminine’ for women to expect more.
“I believe our greatest challenge is to create mindsets that see women in leadership positions as an indispensable part of a dynamic, innovative, productive and caring society. We need men and women with a more inclusive approach to leadership, driven by values, meaningful outcomes and the common good” – Dato’ Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil
The Minister concluded by expressing her hope that the Summit would stimulate open and honest discussion on issues concerning women’s progress at the workplace towards a better understanding of the challenges women face, and the changes that are necessary to optimise their capabilities. The two Panel Perdana speakers, Dato’ Dr Ng Yen Yen and Dr Noeleen Heyser captivated the participants with their accounts of what it means take on a leadership position. Although both come from different experiences and professional contexts, Dato’ Dr Ng, as Wanita MCA chairman and Dr Heyzer, as the Executive Director of UNIFEM, both are united in their conviction that the way to push for greater empowerment of women, is for women to actively seek greater political participation. Women must take up the challenge of being involved in decision making at the highest levels of society if they want to become agents of positive change in their communities.
In the Expert Series, members of CEO Solutions, a consultancy comprising highly experienced CEOs, lent their expertise in a session called “Walking the Talk: What Works for Women – The CEO Factor.” This session was ably moderated by Tony Heneberry, who is founder and CEO of PDQ Group. In response to the question “Why there should be more women in businesses?”, Datuk Peter Wenworth who is CEO of BP Asia Pacific elaborated that businesses today don’t see giving positions to women as a patronising concession, instead they view having women in such positions as a strategic advantage. “Businesses need more women in order to capture the full benefit of diverse thinking and problem solving, of making decisions and managing strategies.” He explained that to be competitive in a global marketplace, businesses need to set in place a diversity & inclusion strategy to ensure that they have secured the best female talent, before someone else does!
Mohd Ashraf Iqbal who recently served as the CEO of Federal Auto Malaysia commented that women must be assertive in pushing for their need for a work environment that is supportive of mothers. Advances in technology support the flexibility to work from home; it is time that employers embraced this as well. He challenged women to be creative in how they positioned their demands. For example, extended maternity leave arguably creates an excellent training opportunity for other women, while the woman on leave has quality time with her new baby.
Dr Hamidah Marican, who is Diversity & Inclusion manager for BP Asia and a single mother to a 14 year-old daughter, commented that there are no magic solutions. Women that want a career will always have to make sacrifices. She encouraged working women not to waste their time feeling guilty; instead she urged them to become experts at time management and setting priorities. In the same vein, David Fuller, the former CEO of Malaysian Oxygen added that women should not feel shy about their abilities or ambition. They should set targets and timelines for themselves and work towards advancing in the organisation to which they belong instead of expecting positions to be handed to them.
In the Summit’s afternoon session, we heard from two very different women entrepreneurs who have taken the road less travelled towards personal and professional fulfilment. Elizabeth Carlassare of the United States, an author and creator of dotcomdivas.net is a young woman that has built a successful technology-based business riding on the growth of the internet. Her recent book documents the role web-business is playing in opening up opportunities for women. Its inbuilt flexibility has enabled thousands of women to continue to work while being available to their families.
Diana Rose is a former journalist who returned to her village in Mukah to empower the Melanau community by reconnecting them with their unique cultural heritage. In 1997, she formed a traditional dance troupe, Badan Budaya Melanau and raised funds to build Lamin Dana, a traditional Melanau tallhouse where visitors can stay for an authentic experience of life in Tellian.
Summit participants were enthralled by Diana’s moving account of how, with passion and commitment, she turned her vision into a reality. Today, Lamin Dana is a successful tourism venture and it has given the people of Tellian a strong sense of cultural identity.
The final two speakers, capped off the Summit with a taste of what it is like to dream big and experience the satisfaction of seeing these dream become reality. We hope that you will be similarly challenged by reading the proceedings of The Women’s Summit 2006 in this Special Report.