Inspiring people

My research investigates how our everyday language use reinforces or challenges existing gender inequalities. The ways that we talk about women and men, girls and boys, and their roles, responsibilities, needs, aspirations, behaviours and choices can feed damaging stereotypes and sexist ideas. Although we may not be deliberately discriminatory, sexist attitudes are pervasive and we do harbour unconscious biases. My work uncovers, examines and disrupts these taken-for-granted assumptions and attitudes in order to contribute to social change. Given that what we say and write are shaped by societal beliefs and norms, examining our language use can also shed light on the views and values of wider society and institutions that need to be addressed to improve gender equality.  I am particularly interested in how language that is empowering and uplifting on the surface is used to entrench gender issues. A key aspect of my research is critically examining language that pay lip service to women’s empowerment while upholding the status quo.  

Because stereotypical ideas about women and men are so deeply ingrained in our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, social transformation takes time. Also, because we see women in positions of power, in workplaces, and in universities, many believe that gender equality has already been achieved and that those of us who are pushing for change are overly sensitive, have a ‘victim mentality’, or want ‘special privileges’.  Thus, it is an ongoing challenge to persuade others that inequalities still run deep and that we need to rethink what are often accepted as ‘normal’ and ‘common sense’ as these can sustain gender disparities. 

To transform how we think about gender roles, we need to change how gender relations and cultural ideals of masculinity and femininity are represented through language and discourse. But we cannot fix the problems that we cannot see. My research exposes how language can subtly reinforce and obscure gender issues for employed women, from low-paid migrant workers to white-collar women to political leaders. I closely examine the language of institutions and organisations that can play important roles as catalysts for change, such as the media and state agencies. The outcomes of my research can facilitate policy-makers, media practitioners and companies to critically reflect on and improve their language practices. 

When I was an MA student, I took a course on Language and Gender. I had always felt a sense of injustice in how women and men were treated and valued differently, and the required reading provided me with the vocabulary, frameworks and theories to structure my thoughts and feelings and speak of these injustices. I went on to conduct a dissertation on language and sexist humour on Malaysian radio, and found the process very stimulating and meaningful. When I decided to pursue a PhD a few years later, I knew that this is the field that I want to contribute to. 

I believe that it’s important to constantly return to why you chose this career. Being a researcher is demanding and hard work, and being able to connect your research to a context beyond your personal ambitions and image can give it meaning and purpose.