by Prema Devaraj
Aliran Monthly Vol 25 (2005): Issue 9

	If we really want to socialise our children to respect equality, we need to expose them to concepts and practices which promote equality and respect between women and men. Prema Devaraj

Having recently been introduced to Kajian Tempatan (Local Studies) (ah, the joys of having a child in Standard Four), I was perturbed to look at the specified roles given to fathers and mothers in a chapter discussing Family. Upon checking a local bookstore where textbooks, reference books and workbooks on the subject are sold, the following examples were collated and translated into English:

Example 1: (Text Book) Kajian Tempatan Tahun 4 Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah

My father, head of the family:

My father is the head of my family ......provides basic needs, is loving, protective, guides and teaches, makes decisions.

Zaki's mother:

My mother is a housewife. As a loving mother, she is always carrying out all kinds of tasks in my house…

Example 2: (Reference Book) Revisi SMART Kajian Tempatan (4.5.6)

(Roles and Responsibilities of Family Members)

Father:

1. Father is the head and leader of a family.
2. A father has important roles and responsibilities such as
   • providing a place to live
   • earning a living
   • protecting the family
   • making decisions
   • teaching and disciplining a child
   • providing love

Mother:

1. Mother helps father manage household matters.


2. Mother becomes the head of the household when father is not at home.


3. Her roles and responsibilities include
   • looking after the children
   • keeping the house clean
   • preparing food
   • providing love
   • keeping the children safe

Example 3: (Workbook) Kajian Tempatan Tahun 4 KBSR Akses Prestasi 1

Peranan dan Tanggungjawab (Roles and responsibilities)

Tandakan ( * ) berkaitan peranan dan tanggungjawab anggota keluarga di bawah (Mark * to indicate the roles and responsibilities of the respective family members)

Peranan dan Tanggungjawab (Roles and Responsibilities)	Bapa (Father)	Ibu (Mother)	Anak (Child)
Membuat keputusan (making decisions)	*
Mencuci pakaian ahli keluarga (doing the family laundry)		*
3. Belajar bersungguh-sungguh (studying hard)			*
4. Bekerja untuk menyara keluarga (working to support the family)	*
5. Memberi bimbingan dan dorongan (providing guidance and motivation)	*	*
6. Menjaga keselamatan ahli keluarga (protecting family members)	*
7. Menghormati dan mendengar nasihat (respecting and listening to advice)			*
8. Menyediakan makanan dan minuman (preparing food and drinks)		*
9. Membantu ahli keluarga membuat kerja rumah (helping family members with household chores)			*
10. Menjaga keselamatan diri dan maruah keluarga (looking after personal safety and protecting the family honour)			*

(* answers from the book)

Example 4: (Workbook) Praktis Topikal Cemerlang 1 Kajian Tempatan - Tahun 4 Q. The following are the important roles of a father as a head of the family except:

a) making decisions
b) keeping the house clean
c) providing education
d) providing basic neccessities

Example 5: (Workbook) Praktis Topikal Score KBSR Kajian Tempatan (Penilaian Bertopik) - Tahun 4

Q. This task (picture of a woman cooking) is the main responsibility of:

a) grandmother
b) a daughter
c) a mother
d) a father

Q. Who is responsible for making any decision in a nuclear family?

a) father
b) grandfather
c) mother
d) grandmother

(Given answers are workbook answers)

A casual mention of this to some parents brought these responses.

• “This has been going on for years – it is our culture, what are you trying to change?”


• “Throw the book into the dustbin”


• “KT tak pentinglah (Local Studies is not important) - won't come out in UPSR”

But I ask you:

Why do we bring up our girls to tell them the sky is the limit – be what you want to be, be all you can be, become a rocket scientist, strive for excellence when the message in the text book is that a woman is subordinate to her husband and, as a wife/mother, housekeeping and child-care is solely a woman’s responsibility. What is the impact of this message on boys?

So what's the problem?

At a recent talk about gender and religion, a speaker spoke on the equality between the sexes, saying they are equal but each has different roles to play, the man is responsible for his family and the woman is responsible for household matters. The speaker spoke about teamwork but made a point of revering women who gave up their jobs to look after the children at home.

When there is so much talk about gender equality now, one cannot help but wonder why the role of a woman in her family is still limited to childcare and housekeeping and why the tasks of childcare and housekeeping are still seen as ‘women only’ tasks. Men are capable of sharing these roles with women and, in fact, some do. But why is this sharing of roles and responsibilities not promoted in our textbooks or encouraged in society?

This type of sex-role stereotyping (as recently seen in the KT textbook and workbooks) confines human potential, limits options for men and women, and sends out messages which often contradict daily life experiences. More damaging is that when textbooks/workbooks/reference books reinforce sex-role stereotyping (father: leader, breadwinner, decision-maker; mother: housewife, nurturer), they

• perpetuate dominant and subordinate relationships in our society


• reinforce power structures in which males are more important than females and


• lay the foundation for gender expectations based on male domination and female subordination.

Families, teachers and peers reinforce such notions until even young women come to believe that their unequal status is justified and young men believe that they are superior. This is further perpetuated by cultural practices and religious interpretations.

OK, so?

The unequal power relationship between women and men, created and maintained by gender stereotypes, is seen as the basic underlying cause of violence against women.

According to a UNICEF document:

“It has been well established that the primary cause of gender-based violence is the unequal power relationship between men and women based on stereotypes of the male as privileged and powerful and the female as inferior and submissive. Such stereotypes have been taught the world over to boys and girls from early childhood. All too many men, prompted by their sense of what is ‘masculine’, use violence and intimidation to keep women and girls ‘in their place’ - a submissive one. …”

The government's position

The Malaysian government’s position would seem to be one of promoting gender equality and reducing gender-based violence. Malaysia has been involved in the discussions at the Beijing Platform For Action as well as ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1995, albeit with some reservations. One of the reservations was to Article 5(a) of the convention. (Article 5 of the convention deals with sex role stereotyping and prejudice.) It states:

“State Parties shall take all appropriate measures:

• To modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women.


• To ensure that family education includes a proper understanding of maternity as a social function and the recognition of the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing and development of their children, it being understood that the interest of the children is the primordial consideration in all cases.”

Our government’s reservation to 5(a) was later reviewed and a declaration made in 1997 stating that Article 5(a) is subject to the Shariah law on the division of inherited property. Therefore there is nothing stopping the implementation of a major part of Article 5.

More recently the government also signed the Putrajaya Declaration at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women amidst huge publicity and fanfare. In his speech with regards to empowering women and achieving gender justice, the Prime Minister said, “ Effective empowerment requires changing the way gender roles and power relations are expressed in society……..It takes a great deal of moral courage and fortitude to be able to challenge long-held and deeply ingrained societal beliefs about the role of women in society, particularly if religion is cited as the main reason for their subjugation….”

The reality

Arising from the many efforts and contributions by different organisations and individuals over the years, gender equality and the roles of women are now part of mainstream discussions worldwide. Declarations have been made, Conventions have been ratified, specific policies regarding women have been established and various promises have been made. All these efforts are important, but at the best of times they seem to be limited to the public sphere. In the private sphere, that is in the family, the practices we all claim to be eliminating (gender bias, male domination, female subordination), to a very large extent, still prevail.

If we really want to socialise our children to respect equality, we need to expose them to concepts and practices which promote equality and respect between women and men. Education is a federal issue and it is vital - if CEDAW is to be respected and implemented - that the message we give to our children in our education system must be in line with the articles the government has pledged to uphold in CEDAW. Textbooks, reference books and workbooks for children – an integral part of our present education system - must then reflect equality and respect between women and men. It is high time our national and international commitments to gender equality are reflected in our education system.

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