THE POLITICAL CULTURE OF CHINESE WOMEN IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Background and Purpose: Chinese women in Peninsular Malaysia exhibit a passive political culture. This is evidenced by the number of Chinese women in Parliament and Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN). Despite that Chinese community-based political parties have established a 30 per cent quota to empower the political participation of women, the target quota has yet to be achieved as of today. Therefore, the present study discussed the indicators that influence the political culture of Chinese women in Peninsular Malaysia. Among the important indicators that affect political culture is the political socialisation agents.Methodology: In this qualitative research design, data were collected using a semi-structured interview method. The Interviews were conducted with a total of ten participants, namely seven Chinese women political representatives, one Chinese women Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) activist, one academician, and one men politician who served in Peninsular Malaysia. The data obtained through interviews underwent a transcription process which was then coded and themed.Findings: The themes were divided into two categories, namely the internal political socialisation agents and the external political socialisation agents. Internal political socialisation agents consisted of education, economy, culture, religion, family, and gender, whereas external political socialisation agents consisted of NGOs/associations, political parties, and the community. A model, Political Socialisation Agent Model for Chinese women, based on the Intersectionality Dimension Theory was developed to illustrate the relationship between the internal and the external political socialisation agents that shape the political attitudes and behaviours of Chinese women.Contributions: The present study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the political culture of Chinese women residing in Malaysia. The results of this study may be utilised to increase the awareness and participation of Chinese women in the political sphere of Peninsular Malaysia.