On facing fears, speaking out, and International Women’s Day 2021

It’s been quite the week here at Tech in Asia as we commemorate International Women’s Day on the site. Our campaign, “Women in Focus,” has been shining the spotlight on some of the women making waves in Asia’s tech and startup scene, covering a range of topics through a variety of formats.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge – a call to question the status quo and take a stand against discrimination and inequality. And as we worked on this campaign, I’ve been mulling over how I’m “choosing to challenge” in my life.

Mulling over how I’m “choosing to challenge,” among other things / Photo credit: Christine Toh

I’ve always felt strongly about gender equality, and this desire to champion women’s rights and their stories is why I decided to step up and take the lead for this year’s International Women’s Day campaign.

However, despite these feelings and ideas, I’ve actually found it hard to speak up when I encounter inequality and discrimination in my life. Most of it is driven by fear: Of rocking the boat, being seen as weak, not being taken seriously, and being ignored.

Defining fears and taking a stand

One of the articles I worked on for this campaign was this piece done in partnership with Aspire, where we heard from three women entrepreneurs in Singapore. One of them was Mandy Chan, co-founder of sports and travel gear startup The Bold Company. She and I are the same age, and I was crazy impressed at how she started her own business when she was 19. At that age, I was binge-watching videos on YouTube.

Chan shared that a key step in taking the leap into entrepreneurship was asking herself this question: “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” After all, one of people’s greatest fears is that of the unknown. But when you define your fear and break down what’s holding you back, you often find that the odds aren’t as unfavorable as they seem.

Mandy Chan / Photo credit: The Bold Company

I’m trying to apply this approach to many aspects of my life, and that includes speaking up against bias and discrimination. At worst, my opinions will go unheard and not be respected, and people will think I’m “too soft.” In which case, that environment probably isn’t where I want to be, and it’s time to find somewhere that is inclusive and open to change.

This nugget of wisdom from Chan is just one of the many insights we heard from the bright and bold women of Asia’s tech and startup ecosystem this week. The Tech in Asia team has been working tirelessly to bring these stories to you, and it’s heartening to see the fruits of our labor. Aside from my listicle, we ran other articles featuring women leaders and founders in the region:

• The tech world needs women, now more than ever. Here’s why
• This Shopee project manager is carving her own path to success with the ecommerce giant
• Ups, downs, and advice from 3 women entrepreneurs in Singapore
• Behind JustCo’s ambitions to reshape the future of work through tech
• From psych to product: The value of having a non-tech background for this Grab product lead
• What it’s like to be the head of people in a fast-growing Southeast Asian startup

We also did a special version of our QuickBytes series, featuring women from our own ranks here at Tech in Asia. Eileen, Celine, and Dini all play key roles in the company, and they’ve all got pretty interesting stories in their own right:

• QuickBytes: Chasing and losing dreams with Eileen C. Ang, Tech in Asia’s lead copy editor
• QuickBytes: Challenging biases with Celine Wong, Tech in Asia’s product manager
• QuickBytes: Pivots and perseverance with Dini Utomo, senior account manager at Tech in Asia