"Can a man wear a bra?"

The 18 young women who found themselves unexpectedly grappling with this poser during a workshop on gender studies could not help but snort and giggle dismissively at the ludicrous picture that popped up in their minds at this suggestion.

"If ... ," Zaitun Kasim, the facilitator of the workshop, persevered, "If I were to tell a man, 'I will give you RM10,000 if you wear this bra ...,'" she paused to let that sink in.

"Now," she repeated her question slowly, "can a man wear a bra?" and this time, improbable though the idea still seemed, it was suddenly not so impossible after all.

The above redefining moment (one of many) came about in a word association exercise on the two genders. As well as discovering the difference between sex and gender, participants found out for themselves that the two genders are interchangeable: No sex has an exclusive and definite claim on any behaviour, thinking, characteristic or ability, beyond those related to the sexual reproductive system or certain physiological functions.

Myths and preconceived views on gender relations, such as the above, were challenged or at least seen in a new light at the two-day workshop on women, gender and leadership co-organised by the Women's Candidacy Initiative (WCI) and the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth Section with the sponsorship of Canadian International Development Assistance on March 31 and April 1.

Entitled an eyebrow-raising 'Romance and Leadership - Ada connection ke?!' (as a friendlier and less intimidating alternative to 'Sex and Gender Studies', Zaitun explains), the workshop is part of an ongoing effort by WCI, established in 1999, to encourage women's participation in politics.

Self-esteem

Zaitun, or Toni as she is affectionately called, thinks that merely calling for 30 percent women's representation in Parliament is not all there is to empowering women; it's also about women having self-esteem.

"We believe every woman is a leader, whether in Parliament, in society or in the house," she said.

Incidentally, Toni is WCI's first general elections candidate. She contested in the 1999 general elections under the DAP banner as an independent candidate for the parliamentary seat of Selayang and garnered a credible 43 percent of the votes.

"I hope one day there will be no role for NGOs, that people would be able to represent themselves and interact with the government to convey their aspirations directly," she said of WCI's long-term objectives.

And the workshop was but a small step to realising them. Participants were a good mix of races and backgrounds. Initially catering for those between 21 and 35 years old as they are the ones whose energy and talents are most needed by society and politics, the workshop nevertheless accepted applications from a few 20-year-old students and a 37-year-old disabled woman.

Toni, who, at 34, is living up to the promise of this important age group herself, was especially glad to see the participation of three disabled women. She stressed that whether disabled or not, all women have the same insecurities and problems at the core and that disability is just an accessibility problem and should not be used as an excuse to feel insecure about oneself.

'Swot' stuff

Working in different groups to maximise interaction, participants were exposed to practically the whole gamut of women's issues in lively sessions that incorporated some role-playing as well as inputs from practical and real-life experiences.

They studied cases - both factual and fictitious - pertaining to rape, single motherhood and citizenship to identify underlying and overt discrimination and presented their proposals to right the wrongs in a mock parliamentary session.

They discovered the harsh realities of domestic violence, myths and realities of rape and the inadequate laws to curb it.

They learnt to be accommodating of viewpoints other than theirs through a rather fun session that employed arm-wrestling as both a physical and symbolic representation of what it means to calmly agree to disagree.

They experienced being led by a democratic leader, an authoritarian leader and a weak one, noting the different results as well as the pros and cons of each leadership style.

They also examined the factors that prohibit and inhibit women from participating in activities outside the sphere of their homes using the 'Swot' approach.

An acronym for 'strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats', Swot is used by activists to identify, examine and resolve problems. Factors are grouped into two opposites - internal and external, which are further divided into two opposites, strengths and weaknesses, and opportunities and threats, respectively.

Transport problems

Tony cited the use of Swot in the recently completed proposal for the Sexual Harassment Bill that was handed over to the Human Resources Ministry. A team of lawyers and women's issues activists sat down and worked it all out to the extent that it comes with a complete Bill, all ready to be tabled when the need arises.

At the workshop, participants applied the Swot method and concluded that aside from transport problems (for most women are dependent on public transport) to venues that are less accessible, it is the patriarchal system entrenched in today's society that is the main 'threat' against active participation by women.

College student Yap Mei Shya, 20, however, said it isn't just the system that needs to be changed, but the mindset of women themselves as well.

"I have a friend who is an able leader, but she would never offer herself to lead any activity until the last minute," Yap says. "She'd just say, 'Let the men do it.'"

It would seem that a revolution in women's mindset is required as well, and perhaps the workshop has helped to set off some sparks.

We're all humans

The workshop ended with everyone taking turns to say something appreciative of the participant next to her, a reminder that we should always see the good points in a person, appreciate him or her for them and, most importantly, tell them so that they, too, know it.

Empowerment for all participants began the very next day, for all were required to come up with a wish-cum-promise that could be acted upon immediately to make another woman's life better.

While many said they would share what they have learnt from the workshop with their family, friends and colleagues, Yap came up with one that best summed-up the point of the workshop:

"I resolve to look at each person as a human being," she said echoing the conviction of the workshop's participants that a person's sex was quite irrelevant.

CHUAH SIEW ENG is a malaysiakini sub-editor.