IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2019 - 24

Women have always worked, but
over the years, the nature of work has
changed, with labor mobility as a result
of globalization compelling females to
struggle against new labor challenges
(Ederveen et al., 2007). The conditions
that imprison them changed to accommodate the fresh surge of working
women. While, on one hand, there are
exhortations for women to gain a higher
education and compete for professions
traditionally controlled by men, on the
other hand, they are subtly discouraged
from their ambition to reach and penetrate the glass ceiling (Fels, 2004).
This story is about a group of female
Computer engineers gather at the Imagineering Institute, which helps promote
electrical, electronic, and computer
innovation within Malaysia.
engineers, new graduates looking to the
future in a Malaysian research institute
that focuses on digital multisensory
have been curtailed by misogynistic
became the norm as women extensively
communication, robotics, and artificial
laws that cast them as an "other," a conjoined the workforce. It created a false
intelligence. These women are learndition from which work has failed to libnarrative that work liberates women and
ers and creators, and their experience
erate them. Moreover, neither females
forges an identity for them. Feminist
is revealed through their perceptions
sitting at the table nor converting enviactivists demonized homes as prisons
about being an engineer, engineering as
ronmental restrictions into their "fuel"
from which women needed to be freed.
a career, and being both a woman and
magically destroys the conditions that
They thought that women getting out
an engineer.
compel women to lean back from the
of their homes and going to work would
Our country is Malaysia, which is in
table and imprison themselves within
magically erase the conditions that
Southeast Asia, with a per capita gross
their subjectivity. Granted, successful
made them prisoners. But working neidomestic product of US$9,502 and a popwomen's words of encouragement help
ther liberated them from the attitudes
ulation at 31.9 million, both as of 2016.
females to rethink the nature of work
imposed on them nor made them ecoThe Department of Statistics of
in comparison to being a
nomically independent. As Bell Hooks
Malaysia says that, by 2040,
woman-work is not the
said, women became disenchanted by
Not only
the population is expectliberator, but, in a way,
their work, the dissatisfaction coming
does the glass
ed to rise to 41.5 milthe liberation itself.
from the underlying conditions that
ceiling differ from
lion, yet the annual
Can work make
failed to change, leaving them unliberwomen reach for the
ated (Hooks, 2000).
one culture to another, growth will decline
glass ceiling? The
According to World Bank data, the
but the very perception to 0.8% from 1.8%
in 2010. By 2040,
situation is comglobal labor force was 3.45 billion in
of the glass ceiling is
there will be more
plex. Not only does
2017, of which only 39.28% were women.
through the eyes
males in the poputhe glass ceiling difAutomation (robotics and artificial intelof otherness.
lation than females,
fer from one culture
ligence) is expected to affect 50% of
with a ratio of 108:100.
to another, but the very
present-day jobs in the next 20 years,
perception of the glass ceiland to fight the impending unemployAccording to the country's
ing is through the eyes of otherment, there is considerable discussion of
official 2016 Labor Force Survey
ness. De Beauvoir saw the weakness of
topics such as a universal basic income.
Report, the total labor force stands at
women as their "lack of concrete means
Amid all of the ferment, women are still
14.7 million, with 54.3% of women workof organizing themselves into a unit." Yet
paid less than their male counterparts
ing (compared to 80.2% of men), which
women the world over are not one unit
for the same services rendered.
is a 0.2% rise for women from the previjust by virtue of being women, nor are
In addition, women continue to be
ous year. In 2016, 96.2% and 97.7% of
they one through the conditions under
constantly harassed, discriminated
men in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups,
which they live and work. The world's
against, and abused in both workplace
respectively, were employed, according
women are one unit because they hold a
and home (Holland and Cortina, 2016;
to government statistics, yet in the same
number of things in common-they are
Neall and Tuckey, 2014; Sanders, 2015).
age groups, women were employed at
mothers, wives, and daughters.
Their independence and basic rights
72% and 67.1%, respectively. There was

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

JUNE 2019

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2019

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