MARCH 10 ― Asian women have always played a significant role in society, the economy and civic institutions in their respective countries. However, very few make it to the top in politics and business, especially if they themselves had not been the main instigators in the formation of the political parties or business enterprises within which they operate.

The face of a leader is often that of a man’s, whether in the realms of business or politics.

Should we be concerned about this long-standing trend?

There is no doubt that enabling a more inclusive business or political environment would ensure that women’s voices and perspectives will be taken into account. If women make up half the population of any society, should we not then be concerned about their dismal numbers and representation in business and politics? Besides numbers, are women making it to positions where they are leaders who have the power to effect change?

Better educated but still not in leadership positions

Women’s representation in Parliament in Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Vietnam has shown an upswing in recent years. The Global Gender Gap Report from last year has found that these countries have recorded rates above the global average of 20 per cent in terms of the percentage of women in Parliament.

But while we may surmise that this is cause for celebration, the fact that the rates of women in Parliament in these countries hover only slightly above the global average is sobering.

In the past, when women lacked opportunities in education, it was not surprising that the door to leadership positions was shut from them.

But this cannot be said of the current generation.

Most countries in the world are close to achieving gender parity in education—at least at the secondary school level. In some countries, in fact, there are more females than males receiving tertiary education, going against traditional gender norms and stereotypes that boys outshine girls.

How do women gain power?

Despite this leap forward, asking where the women are is justified. Asia has no lack of women who have become political leaders. Their rise to these positions has occurred in spite of persisting gender stereotypes that politics is a man’s domain. But if we study the context in which these women rose, we soon learn that family ties had played a critical role in laying the path for these women to enter politics. Ms Aung San Sui Kyi and Ms Yingluck Shinawatra are but two examples.

A study conducted by the Centre for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia found that more than 40 per cent of women elected in Indonesia in 2009 had inherited their political power. Moreover, with the mandatory 30 per cent quota system, it is unclear whether the women in Parliament had been elected on the basis of merit or only to fill the quota.

Another group of female political candidates are the celebrities whose fame and fortune bring in votes and buy them a place in a political party. This trend is apparent among political parties in Indonesia, the Philippines and India, which have resorted to recruiting female celebrities to improve their political standing. As a result, the ways in which women tend to enter politics mean that they tend to be from the higher socio-economic strata and, therefore, seldom have pro-poor or gender-inclusive agendas.

In Vietnam and Cambodia, even though the numbers of elected women officials have increased, these women still struggle to make their voices heard as they face discrimination from and domination by men who continue to control most of the power. Similarly, in Laos, where the culture of patriarchy in politics persists, women tend to take a back seat in politics and business.

In the field of business, the region has its share of women’s representation. But once again we see the family factor at play. For instance, Ms Lee Kim Hua, Malaysia’s richest woman, is the widow of casino magnate Lim Goh Tong, who founded Genting Group, a chain of resort hotels in Malaysia.

Why do these patterns emerge? Could it be that the majority of people still hold conservative ideas about gender-specific political and business capacities and capabilities?

That being said, what this suggests is that ordinary women are facing barriers when it comes to upward mobility and that these barriers need to be removed in order to ensure a more level playing field across the sexes at every socio-economic strata.

The positive benefits of ensuring that women attain leadership positions are immense. If women were able to reach their full economic potential, the Asia-Pacific economy would earn an additional US$89 billion (RM290 billion) each year, according to estimates by the United Nations.

In politics and legislation, women’s influence in the decision-making process has resulted in greater intervention on issues of anti-discrimination, domestic violence, child support and protection in countries as diverse as Timor-Leste, Croatia, Morocco, Rwanda and South Africa.

At the fundamental level, change is about ensuring diversity so that no person of a particular gender, age or ethnic background will dominate the decision-making landscape. Among women, the need for change is not only about ensuring that their presence be felt but creating an environment that ensures that they are represented at every level in an organisation, particularly in leadership positions, whether in business or politics. ― Today

*Dr Theresa W Devasahayam is President-Elect, Soroptimist International of Singapore and Sri Ranjini Mei Hua is Projects Officer (Science and Innovation) at the British High Commission.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.