LETTERS: AS Malaysia progresses towards gender equality, policymakers must reconsider their approach to supporting wage earners.
Instead of perpetuating traditional gender roles, they should develop policies that recognise and address the diverse needs of women in the workforce.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last week proposed the adoption of flexible or shorter working hours for women in public services to ease the strain on those torn between work commitments and caregiving responsibilities.
The proposal has ignited a debate on whether these measures empower women or reinforce gender norms.
Although flexible working arrangements may provide temporary relief for women juggling work and caregiving, they fail to tackle the root causes of gender inequality in the workplace.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum said Malaysia ranked at 102nd place among 146 surveyed countries, trailing behind all but one Asean nation.
This underscores the need for innovative solutions to promote gender equality in the workplace.
In Malaysia, as in many other countries, women bear a disproportionate burden of childcare responsibilities.
The Khazanah Research Institute's pilot Time Use study in 2018 found that Malaysian women spent an average of 3.6 hours (15.2 per cent) on unpaid care work, compared with men's 2.2 hours (9.3 per cent).
Thus, women devoted 63.6 per cent more time on average to unpaid care work than men.
In another aspect, female public servants receive 90 days of paid maternity leave, while their male counterparts are granted seven days of paid paternity leave. Female civil servants also can take up to one year of unpaid childcare leave.
Transforming these benefits into shared resources for working parents could revolutionise the landscape, mitigating the impact of childcare on women's professional paths.
This shift would represent a significant stride towards gender equality in the workplace.
Thus, by investing in childcare infrastructure, promoting gender-balanced caregiving responsibilities, and dismantling systemic barriers to women's advancement, Malaysia can create a more inclusive and supportive environment professionally and personally.
HAZEL LO
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times