TSC x TGU: Sisters Doing It For Themselves | By Brandon Teng
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| Source: Taylor's Girl Up. |
On 5 March, Taylor’s Speaker’s Corner collaborated with Taylor’s Girl Up on an open mic session titled “Sisters Doing it for Themselves”, sharing the experiences of various Taylorian women ranging from lecturers to students. The session was held online using the Zoom platform in honor of the coming International Women’s Day, bringing in an audience of around 40 while Aretha Franklin’s Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves filled the background. Quite a fitting prelude to the contemplations of gender equality, and even more fitting to celebrate each speakers’ individual achievements.
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| Source: Taylor's Girl Up. |
The first speech began with Dr Anasuya Jegathesan (or Dr A, as she prefers) taking the mic to hit the session off. Eager anticipation filled the room before Dr. A, the Associate Professor of Taylor’s Department of Social Sciences, burst into a soulful rendition of Bon Jovi’s It’s My Life. The point was simply that no person should ever decide the direction of another’s life, rather it is each individual’s responsibility to determine their own life choices. She then proceeded to recount her ill-served experience as an academic: namely, having to earn a doctorate for the sake of respect from her male peers, and even having her age questioned by students in the unfounded presumption of her ignorance. Dr A’s final message was that within the confines of perceived stereotypes, it becomes necessary to build yourself as a person independent of such narrow views, and most importantly, to trust yourself as someone deserving of respect.
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Source: Taylor's Girl Up.
These views were echoed strongly by students Chong Hong Xuan, president of Taylor’s College Student Council, as well as Yaashinie Mathialagan, president of Taylor’s Taekwondo Club. What followed were similar countenances of discrimination and deprecation. For Hong Xuan, being discouraged from running for her current title had broken her heart. Under the stereotype of women being subservient, quiet, and uninvolved, she was even questioned, “Why do you want to be so strong?” Yaashinie’s experience did not deviate from the unfortunate norm, elaborating that women were upheld to a different standard from men, and told off for being too ambitious or bossy, something a man would never be accused of. Confronting these vexations was not easy. In spite of this, it was their staunch belief in their own voices that led them to where they are today; whether it was too dominant or too aggressive, their standards of being a woman remained their own.
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Source: Taylor's Girl Up.
The event continued with Ms Laveenia Theerta Pathy, manager of the Student Leader and Engagement Department, who read a tribute written in honor of the matriarchs in her family. The performance highlighted an often overlooked sacrifice on the part of women, as they are saddled with the feminine responsibilities of a domestic caretaker. In describing her grandmother and mother respectively, Ms Laveenia explained that these maternal responsibilities also include familial financial support.
Dr Nur Haniz, a senior lecturer in Taylor’s School of Media and Communication, supplemented this by outlining the many personas a woman would have to wear, for example: the persona of a wife, mother, or daughter even while balancing their own careers. As Dr Haniz surmises, it is not easy to carry these responsibilities that women have not been allowed to deny.
In a similar spirit, Ms Rajalakshmi, Programme Director of Taylor’s Bachelor of Psychology, wearily expressed her attempts at balancing her domestic responsibilities such as taking care of her child with her as a Programme Director while trying to finish her doctorate. An impossibility, as she so described, made worse by the pandemic which served only to blur the lines between work and family even more.
Both Dr Haniz and Ms Rajalakshmi reiterated similar sentiments on the consequences of such expectations, saying that while men are not expected to take up a domestic role, the many duties of women have led them to be, as the former describes: “taken for granted”. Ms Rajalakshimi also expressed feeling ‘guilt and frustration’ due to the expectations placed on her to fulfill all these roles perfectly.
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Source: Taylor's Girl Up.
However, in celebration of these many challenges, various speakers have chosen to showcase their professional achievements as a sign of their true, innate talents. Dr Yap Wei Hsum, Programme Director of Biotechnology, played no small role in developing a new virtual online immersive platform for students in Biotechnology, Biomedical Science and Food Science, which redefined online learning completely for students within these fields, thus overcoming the obstacles of on-site lab experience limited by the pandemic.
Additionally, Chan Yiwen, a psychology student of Taylor’s University, expounded on her status as a national squash player, asserting that hard work and persistence matter to achieve goals even in the face of negativity and overwhelming responsibilities, especially under the weight of expectations where weaknesses are magnified. Similarly, Kathleeya Richard has founded Taylor’s Connect and created various community initiatives to tackle mental health issues—which she describes as sorely lacking within society—such as KauOkTak, Listentomelah, and of course, Taylor’s Connect, accomplishing all these with passion and teamwork alone.
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| Source: Taylor's Girl Up. |
Finally, Caylene On, EXCO Member of AWAM and MyDiplomacy, recounted her journey to becoming a feminist activist. In several online posts, she stated that a women’s claims of sexual harassment online would only be effective with legal action. This received much backlash and unwarranted attacks on her character. Weathering the misconceptions that she was in support of the harasser, she subsequently joined AWAM to inform herself of the proper steps in speaking up against sexual harassment online through webinars and workshops, even advocating for the Sexual Harassment Bill. Her wish lay not in women bringing unattended claims; rather, to ensure that genuine claims of sexual harassment are met with genuine legal resolutions. As Caylene later mused, “Feminism is not a form of threat, but a form of empowerment.”
Suffice to say, the event was very insightful and has instilled empathy within the audience towards the speakers’ various struggles as women. “Sisters Doing It For Themselves” has given the audience many takeaways regarding true gender equality.
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