We decided to focus on gender biases that have been passed on for generations in Asian communities, as we had personally experienced how Asian cultures can be hierarchical, with rigid social expectations.
In Southeast Asia, majority of families fall under the low to middle income range. Most females are not allowed to work outside of their families, regardless of their personal interests and talents. While young girls are increasingly exposed to the idea of gender equality, there is a fear of going against the community’s expectation. Nonetheless, these women have the potential, beyond their unpaid duties at home, to contribute to the economy.
We plan to initially target these families and show the impact these women can have, beyond their traditional homemaking roles.
To do so, we will target three generations of the family and create a new cycle which will nurture gender equality into future generations. Firstly, we will educate the children before they form any biases. At the same time, we would have to influence the parents and grandparents, to let go of their conventional wisdom. We plan to achieve this by providing the women with job opportunities, such as handcraft jobs from home. Given the current pandemic, companies can access cheap labour through this and in turn assist the families that are struggling financially. By connecting with corporations, we will establish an economic exchange and ensure sustainability of the system. Companies will also be able to fulfil their social responsibility by raising awareness on gender equality in these societies.
In the short run, we aim to create a new source of income by providing job opportunities to the females in these families. Eventually, we aim to see these communities free to unleash their full potential and contribute to the society without being limited by gender identities.