‘Stop nagging, speak like Doraemon’: Malaysia sorry after coronavirus tips spark sexism row

The women’s affairs ministry issued tips on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the lockdown and urged women to dress up while working from home

The apology came after the online posters sparked a public outcry

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One of the coronavirus campaign posters shared by Malaysia’s women’s affairs ministry. Photo: Twitter

Published: 5:48pm, 31 Mar 2020Updated: 11:40pm, 31 Mar 2020

Malaysia apologised on Tuesday after telling women to speak with a cartoon cat voice and avoid nagging their husbands during coronavirus lockdowns, a move that sparked a sexism row.

Malaysia’s women’s affairs ministry issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown, which began on March 18, with a series of online posters with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19.

One of the campaign posters depicted a man sitting on a sofa, and asked women to refrain from being “sarcastic” if they need help with household chores.

Avoid nagging your husband, another poster said, attempting to inject humour by using a voice similar to the anime character Doraemon – a blue robot cat popular across Asia.

The ministry also urged women to dress up and wear their make-up while working from home.

“We apologise if some of the tips we shared were inappropriate and touched on the sensitivities of some parties,” the ministry’s women development department said in a statement.

The apology came after the online posters sparked a public outcry. The posters have since been removed.

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