By Faeza Sirajudin

I was having a conversation with my aunt just last week. She was griping because her current boss was going to be replaced with a female. My aunt’s primary complaint was that by default, a female boss would be more difficult to work with than a male and she would be more unreasonable and suitably bitchy. This assumption disturbed me greatly but nothing I said could change my aunt mindset on the matter – she suggested I was naïve to believe otherwise.

What causes such preconceived notions about women in positions of authority in the workplace? More importantly and perhaps more disturbingly, are such notions justified? Do employees have different standards for male and female bosses? Or do female bosses feel a need to be harder than their male counterparts, seeing this as the only way to earn the respect of their subordinates? It all seems like rather a vicious cycle to me.

What seems unarguable is that women are still struggling to find their place in the historical male domain of the workplace and are still figuring out the balance between being respected, being effective, and being likable. Is the only way for a woman to be successful to embrace male roles and male sensibilities?

Even in what might seem to be the progressive world of Hollywood, this struggle is evident. Movies with female leads are in the vast minority. Roles played by women are either that of the love interest or the matron. And women superiors even in Hollywood movies do come across as very tough broads!!! Even when the lead role in the movie is female, she conforms to stereotypical feminine roles like a nanny or a vixen. Very few gender-unspecified lead roles go to women. In fact, I can’t think of even one and I have watched way more movies than the average person should.

Join us as we watch Erin Brockovich find a way to find her place in the tough male world of litigation and civil lawsuits. To earn a decent living for herself and help her clients in the process, does she have to take on a more masculine persona? Does she have to become ‘the bitch’ to outwit the opposing lawyers? Or can she still remain true to who she is and still get the job done?

* Only AWARE members will be allowed to participate. Non-members, please sign up to become an AWARE member if you are interested in joining the Film Club.

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If you’d like to know more about how gender roles took shape over time, join us at our Gender Matters workshops. It’s a crash course in feminism, and you’ll see how our beliefs and behaviours are shaped by the conventions of our society.

By Meiling Wong

Our first Gender Matters workshop on the history of feminism threw up a good deal of insightful debate and discussion. Join us for the second and third instalments of our Gender Matters series, where you will learn about how gender roles took shape over time, the impact of these conventions and expectations on our beliefs and behaviours, and discover what feminism can offer you.

For instance, as a child, were you given dolls when you really wanted to play with trucks or Lego? Were you compelled to learn to cook when you would rather have gone to welding class?

 
Today, when you choose clothes for your daughter or niece, do you automatically go for the reds and pinks? Do you wear high heels because YOU really like them or because that’s what’s expected of a woman?

Women today appear to have many choices. Or do we? To what extent are our choices dictated or influenced by social conventions?

Gender is not just a matter of the physical attributes of being a boy or a girl. There are the social norms that say women have prime responsibility for the home and that men are the main breadwinners. There are certain expectations about what a woman should look like, and be like.

At our Gender Matters workshops you will learn about the evolution of feminism, how gender roles took shape over time, and the impact of these conventions and expectations on our beliefs and behaviours.

There will be three workshops, all held at night at the AWARE Centre.

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The Annual General Meeting (AGM) this year will be held on Saturday 28 August. Mark the date now in your calendar and keep the afternoon free.

A formal notice has been sent to all members. If you have not renewed your membership yet, please RENEW your MEMBERSHIP NOW by logging in on the sidebar on the right, so that you will receive the notice. Pending the AGM, the organisation will suspend NEW MEMBERSHIP applications.

The Board has passed a set of bye laws setting out the new elections procedure. The key features of the bye laws were announced at the members’ night on 16 June 2010. They include the following:

• The appointment by the Board of a three-member independent Elections Committee that will oversee the nominations and elections process.
• Members planning to stand for election to the Board will have to complete and submit nomination forms four weeks before the AGM.
• A suspension on new memberships once the notice of the AGM is issued. Any membership applications received will only be processed after the AGM. This suspension does not affect renewals of membership.
• Members will be asked to confirm their attendance at the AGM so that arrangements for a venue of a suitable size can be made.

If you have any questions on the election process or the AGM, would like a copy of the AWARE Constitution or bye-laws, or to you would like to confirm your attendance at the AGM, please write to aware@aware.org.sg

 
By Meiling Wong

Anger is a powerful emotion. When unleashed, it can destroy relationships in a matter of minutes. We can’t stop ourselves from feeling angry. But we can control how we express it.

Educational psychologist Dr. Ginny Chan and Preschool curriculum specialist Ms. Jade McLean will explain how we can do this in a talk at the AWARE Centre on 31st July.

In the first part of this talk, she will examine the psychology behind our need to express anger and explain the ‘Three R’ approach to anger management. They will then look at how anger manifests itself in children, and how this leads to the way we deal with the emotion as adults.

Children need to be taught from an early age how to handle intense emotions – especially anger. Ginny and Jade will help parents identify negative triggers that prompt violent and angry responses, and explain how to teach proper anger management techniques to children.

This talk is for all adults, teachers, caregivers and parents of children in preschool and primary school.

Dr. Ginny Chan is the Director of MIND-Hub Resources Network. An experienced trainer with a diverse portfolio, her areas of specialty are education, family, marketing and communication. She holds a PhD in educational psychology. She has trained teachers and students in strategies to excel in academics and integrating school and family education.

Ms. Jade McLean works as a Trainer and Preschool Curriculum Specialist at the Centre for Learning Anchors Network (CLAN). She has had a long experience of working in the publishing industry, enjoying the roles of sub-editor, writer, editor, and publisher. Jade has been holding English enrichment classes with children.

In her Anger Management series and Parent-Child Bonding series, Dr. Chan has been sharing with parents strategies for communicating, educating, managing time and managing intense emotions with their children. She has delivered these talks at companies such as DBS and ABN.
 

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Singapore is, by all accounts, one of the safest places in the world. But, as posters put up by the police say, low crime does not mean no crime.

Women do get stalked in Singapore. They do get molested, threatened, attacked, raped. And when women go abroad, especially if they travel alone, the dangers can multiply.

Every woman should be aware of these dangers, how to avoid them and how to deal with them if avoidance isn’t possible.

This is why AWARE has arranged for trainers from the Kapap Academy Singapore to run a workshop to teach women the essentials of self defence.

Self defence does not require great athletic ability or strength. Kapap Academy’s aim is to empower ordinary people with realistic personal protection skills.

Their technique relies on simple motor responses rather than complex and elaborate moves. Participants are taught how to turn common daily objects like umbrellas, water bottles, and rolled up magazines into effective tools to fend off attackers.

The Kapap technique has been taught at many educational institutions in Singapore, including Singapore Management University, Temasek Polytechnic, and National Junior College.
 

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Sexual harassment at the workplace is far more common that many realise. There is a lot of confusion as to what constitutes sexual harassment, and uncertainty as to how to handle it.

We have run a number of workshops about the problem and questions that keep being raised include:

• If men are making sexually charged comments and jokes that are not directed at me but make me feel uncomfortable, can this constitute sexual harassment?
• Is my employer responsible if I were sexually harassed by a non-employee?
• If I had a flirtatious relationship with someone at the company that appears reciprocal, could I be sexually harassing him or her?
• Are men protected from sexual harassment?

Sexual harassment is a very thin grey line that can easily be crossed if you are not careful. It can be a single act or a premeditated string of events. It can be direct or circuitous in its approach.

Sexual harassment can be confusing and harmful to your self-esteem and your career. If left unchecked, sexual harassment can leave a detrimental physical, emotional and psychological trail of victims.

At our workshop, you will learn what is and what is NOT sexual harassment. You will discover where the grey line is, the signs of harassment, the profiles of habitual harassers and the tools to repel harassment. At the end of the workshop, you will have a better understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment, how it affects you and what you can do to empower yourself.

Create a safe working environment for yourself and your colleagues. Join us!
 

This event has been postponed.

Please call Meiling at 6779 7137, or e-mail meiling@aware.org.sg for more details.