The World Bank Group says if Malaysian women are given equal access to work, EVERYONE’S income could go up by 26%. That is RM 800 on average for each person monthly!

Aren’t there many working women in Malaysia currently? Well, not really. Currently, only 55.2% of Malaysian women are in the labour force. That translates to 39.1% female representation in the labour force.

At present, the World Bank Group has identified 3 major barriers that women face in the workplace in terms of opportunities:

1.    Barriers to participation in the labour force
2.    Barriers to self-employment
3.    Barriers to becoming employers

If you’re wondering if it is important that we do away with these barriers as soon as possible, let us remind you that Malaysia’s working-age population is due to shrink in the coming years as birth rates shrink and life expectancy increases. That means more women participating in the workplace will translate to growth and development.

In response, the government has placed particular emphasis on empowering women.

The employment law will be revised to extend maternity leave and introduce anti-discriminatory and anti-sexual-harassment clauses.

Incentives for women returning to the labour force after a career break is in discussion as well, including scaling up the quality of childcare.

Additionally, the government is also looking to increase the role of women in leadership and policymaking.

Such implementations to make the labour force a friendlier place for women could potentially boost women’s participation up to 60%!

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