1 hour ago
Steps to narrow the
gender gap in Malaysia and Indonesia appear to be falling short, after a major global study found that most people surveyed in both nations remain tethered to traditional views on the roles of women.
The study by research firm Ipsos and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found that 66 and 60 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively, agreed with the statement that “a wife should always obey her husband”, the highest proportions across 29 countries surveyed.
When asked a further question about their stance on whether husbands should have the final word on key decisions made at home, 67 and 58 per cent of respondents from Indonesia and Malaysia agreed, respectively, according to the study.
Over 23,000 people were surveyed from countries including Singapore, India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil on gender roles and their views of norms in December and January this year, in a study timed for International Women’s Day published on March 5.
The attitudes were “not particularly surprising,” said Mohd Faizal Musa, research fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilisation at the National University of Malaysia, adding that Indonesia and Malaysia had deep-rooted Eastern cultural norms and customs, which were often intertwined with Islamic teachings.
But he said measuring gender attitudes of the two Southeast Asian countries against Western ideas of conservativeness and modernity was not as simple as it seemed, revealing the limitations of global studies on attitudes and values.
