Men, your wives are not doormats
"People always forget that family is not the responsibility of a woman, it's a joint responsibility in law, religion and whatever angle you look at. Stop the nonsense about families suffering because women are taking on bigger responsibilities at work.
"For a change, it's about time men realise that they are equally responsible, they should share the burden for the sake of the country. Why should the man come home in the evening, sit happily in the living room and read the papers while the woman, who has been slogging in the office, rush home to care for the baby and cook all the meals for her family?
"Even worse, there are men who sit down and say to their wives, 'ambilkan air untuk saya' (get me some water) -- they sound like invalids. It's about time these types of men change their lifestyles. This mentality is purely cultural. Don't just know how to make babies, also learn how to take care of them; take equal responsibility."
Rafiah believes that women should also make conscious changes to their own behaviour.
"It's important for women today not to give in to the nonsense of having to do everything, from mothering to cooking. The woman of today is not superwoman, she must change her way of life.
"Who says she's the best nappy changer? Leave that to the maid or helper. Her precious time should be spent on the intellectual development of her children.
"Who says she needs to cook every day? These days, you can order food to be sent to your home. If her husband doesn't like it, maybe he can try cooking for himself. Women must learn to manage.
"I'm a firm believer that a woman must respect her husband, but that doesn't mean she has to be a doormat. We need a paradigm change by all, and this policy is the catalyst to achieve that."
The glass ceiling, Rafiah believes, has been too thick, for far too long.
"That's why you find a huge number of women at number two and three positions, there are very few who are at the number one position in any corporation. It's such a tough fight for women to get to that spot.
"I wouldn't say that Malaysian men are chauvinistic; it's definitely not by design. It's just natural instinct, if you're a man, you're more comfortable working with other men.
Rafiah says when she was assistant secretary general of the United Nations (UN), she was already implementing this policy under the guidance and authority of UN's then secretary general, Kofi Annan, whereby whenever there was a top post with two equally good candidates, the woman always got the job.
Comparing the situation today to decades ago, the focus from education to workforce contribution is a natural progression, Rafiah believes.
"Now that we've invested so much in educating girls, why aren't we looking at the ROI (return on investment)? You invest in them but are limiting their contributions, we need to realise that investing in women is good economy.
However, policy and men aside, women must first come out of their shells, Rafiah believes.
"Women must make attitude changes, they must be more confident about accepting promotions and bigger jobs. Unfortunately, many women tend to be scared. When men are offered a bigger job, you never hear them say, 'Hold on, let me check with my wife'."
Read more: Men, your wives are not doormats http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/03womantop3/Article#ixzz1R46rXdWW
