The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #PressforProgress. There are a lot of actions required for bridging the gap of gender equality in the Southeast Asia region. We can’t be complacent. Now, more than ever, there’s a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity.

Although, Singapore has now it’s first female president, there is a long road ahead to achieve gender parity in the Southeast Asia region. Here are some of the examples:

• On average, women in Southeast Asia  earn between 30% and 40% less than men
• Less than 20% of women legally own the land they cultivate
• On political representation, many countries have far fewer women than men in parliament.

We will be looking at some of the videos from our archive which deal with these issues:

Indonesia:

The lack of education opportunities for women in Papua, the easternmost region in Indonesia, means that very few women are able to pursue a university education. Doctor Maria Rumateray is one of the lucky ones. Here is her story:

Read an interview with Dr. Maria Rumateray here.

Malaysia

How do enforced gender roles affect gender equality? And how does this affect relationships, families, and society at large? This Video by PopDevRightsMalaysia delve into these topics with the help of friends, experts, and a nasi lemak brunch!

The Philippines

This video made by AB Communication students of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas in the Philippines highlights gender equality and focuses on the need to empowering women.

On this day, we salute all women who continue to suffer and fight everyday patriarchy. Let us all #PressForProgress to achieve gender parity across the world.