Carolyn Khor's blog

Link to MSN Domestic violence is not the norm   Domestic violence, rape and unwanted pregnancies are problems that are synonymous with less fortunate women who are often left in a lurch with a series of problems that follow. The predicaments these women find themselves in are less likely to be publicly acknowledged due to the conservative attitude of the society towards such occurrences.  While it is widely agreed that women are the victims of such incidences, nonetheless cases like these are often swept under the carpet or settled between two disputing parties to save the hassle of going through court proceedings to seek compensation or justice. The instance of the recently divorced 13 year old girl in Kulim who married her rapist highlights the severity of how families are willing to compromise their daughter’s wellbeing in order to save face. Both families of the adolescences conceded to allow their teenage children enter a contract of marriage even though...

Link to MSN Women are often described as gentile, docile, mild, sensitive and emotional. On the other hand, the unflattering sides of women are generally characterised by terms like unforgiving, petty, overreactive, narrow-minded and judgmental. These definitions of women we should then ask - are they what the women really think of themselves or are women being conveniently shoved into neat little categories by those who lack understanding of who the real women are? The way our society has been trained to think from young is skewed towards gender segregation and discriminatory practices. There are no rules to say that baby boys should be dressed in blue and baby girls in pink, but sadly, commercial advertising and consumers alike move along the trend of mass stereotyping. The superiority of man as a gender did not come by accident. It has been reflected in cultures through time, reinforced through language and then practiced through the laws that govern us as a society...

It must have come as a pleasant surprise that three women from PKR were selected to be Selangor executive council members together with three others from DAP and four from PAS. Dr. Daroyah joins rank with Elizabeth Wong and Rodziah Ismail in an all-women three-member team after being sworn-in at the palace today. PKR Selangor had fielded six women candidates for its state seats, out of which five won. Twelve others from PKR who won are men. In contrast, Penang has only one woman exco which is held by Chong Eng, the DAP state assemblyman for Padang Lalang. During the 13th General Elections, PKR Penang fielded a total of two women candidates for the Penang state seats, out of which only one succeeded - Dr. Norlela Ariffin from Penanti. Nine others from PKR who won are men. The vast difference in women representation within PKR is largely attributed to the role of women in politics in these two states. At the same time, it must be lauded that Tan Sri Khalid has no qualms appointin...