.jpeg)
Guys, let’s be real for a second. Women’s Day isn’t about posting “Happy Women’s Day!” on social platforms, giving us flowers, or buying kopi for the ladies in the office (though, kalau nak belanja, we won’t say no).
But here’s the thing — if you’re not actively making things better for women, your well-meaning gestures doesn’t count much. So, let’s talk about what real support looks like.
1. Less Talk, More Action
We don’t need to hear another generic “Women are amazing!” speech. We know that already. What we need are actual changes in how we’re treated at work, at home and in society.
❌: “Women are so hardworking; we should celebrate them more! Anyway, who’s taking notes for the meeting?”
✅: “I noticed my female colleague earns less than a guy in the same role. Let’s fix that.”
2. Stop Interrupting Us Mid-Sentence, Can?
Have you ever noticed how often women get interrupted? Try sitting in a meeting and actually letting us finish our point before jumping in with “Actually, I think…”
Better yet, if you see it happening, be the guy who says: “Hold up, I want to hear what [her name] was saying first.”
It’s a small move that makes a huge difference.
3. Equal Pay Is Not a Favor
If a woman is doing the same job as a man, she should be getting paid the same. Simple.
❌ “She’s not ready for leadership yet.”
✅ “She’s already leading projects — why isn’t she being paid like it?”
If you’re in a position to hire, promote, or influence salaries, ask the hard questions. If you see a pay gap, call it out.
4. Call Out Sexist Nonsense
Look, we get it. Sometimes it’s easier to laugh off a sexist joke or pretend you didn’t hear that comment about a woman being "too emotional for leadership."
But let’s be honest — men listen to other men more than they listen to women.
So, if you’re the kind of guy who actually cares, speak up when you hear nonsense like that.
❌ What usually happens: “Haha bro, ya la women can be quite sensitive.”
✅ What should happen: “Eh, if a guy did the same thing, you’d call him confident.”
A single sentence can change the energy in the room.
5. Don’t Just Mentor Us — Sponsor Us
We don’t need more “advice” about how to succeed. We need opportunities.
✅ Recommend us for leadership roles
✅ Push for our promotions
✅ Give credit where it’s due
Instead of saying, “She’s really talented, but maybe not ready yet,” ask yourself: “Would I say this if she were a man?”
6. Normalize Parental Leave for All Genders
We’ve all heard it before — “Wah, she’s taking so much leave for her baby.” But have you ever heard anyone say, “Wah, that father is taking so much leave”?
That’s because women are still expected to do the majority of caregiving — which is why so many are forced to take career breaks. If more men took parental leave, workplaces would stop penalizing women for being moms.
7. Women’s Day is NOT Just One Day
If you only care about gender equality on March 8, that’s like going to the gym once a year and expecting six-pack abs. Real support happens daily —
💡 In how you treat female colleagues
💡 In how you challenge unfair policies
💡 In how you use your position to uplift others
Women Have Fought for Themselves for Too Long — It’s Time You Step Up Too
If you’re a boss — check your hiring, pay structure and leadership promotions.
If you’re a colleague — amplify, uplift and speak up.
If you’re reading this — don’t just nod, share this with another guy who needs to hear it.
We’ve been fighting for ourselves for ages. Maybe it’s time you fight alongside us.
Shelina Winthya is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
