Women Face Difficulty In Promotions To High-Ranking Posts Due To Prejudiced Male Bosses.

The fairer sex in Malaysia are still having difficulties to secure high-ranking positions due to the presence of prejudiced male bosses, said Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman.

She said this baseless perception that a man could do a better job must be removed as there were several areas where women had the upper hand like in time management.

"It is not impossible for women to move ahead in the employment sector. If they are capable and their bosses are open-minded, then the job is theirs," she told reporters after officiating the Eastern Zone Young Women Staff Seminar here today.

Azalina said she had heard many complaints during the seminar about the bosses' lack of confidence in the capability of women workers.

"They (women) see vacancies for high-ranking positions but they are never considered for the posts. It can be due to personal obstacles or mere perceptions," she said.

Azalina said she was lucky that her boss, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was an open-minded man, and he had given her the ministerial post as he believed in her capability.

She said that she would open up more opportunities for women in her ministry to hold high-ranking positions. "Currently we have four women State Youth and Sports directors in Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, Perlis and Johor," she said.

Asked on the Kelantanese women's limited involvement in the private and public sectors, Azalina who is also an Umno Supreme Council member said the choice was up to them.

They had the option whether to choose the current state administration who decided to limit their role or a government that could take them to greater heights. (Bernama)

****** I'm sure that the same attitude is prevalent in many countries. It is definitely a wrong perception and reflects not only the ignorance of these men but also their insecurities. They simply cannot accept that women can be their equals let alone be better than them. But times they are-a-changing and many strides have been made by the fairer sex and frankly the trend of women taking over top positions everywhere is irreversible. The recent promotion of a woman as Chairman of the Board of Pepsico is a case in point. Some die-hard chauvinists may attempt to slow down the process but alas it is a futile effort. The United Nations has elevated women to the second-highest position and it is only a matter of time before they secure the Secretary General's post.

Women are setting records in outer space; so what's the difficulty in accepting them as equals here on Earth? No capable woman should be left behind or prevented from going up the corporate, political, professional, or public service ladder. Chauvinistic, insecure men should instead be shown the door.
Image: Male Chauvinist Pig - Source