SEREMBAN, June 22 — Increasing women’s participation as decision-makers in both the public and private sectors requires comprehensive planning and implementation of holistic initiatives across different agencies and all levels of society, said Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
According to the Prime Minister’s wife, women’s representation in high-ranking positions within the public sector has surpassed the 30 per cent target.
“I call on the government to set a new target to ensure the continued increase of women’s involvement in decision-making roles.
“Effective measures must be taken to increase the involvement of women as decision-makers in the private sector, which has yet to reach 30 per cent,” she said in her speech at the Negeri Sembilan-level Wanita Madani Carnival at Dewan Majlis Bandaraya Seremban here today.
Also present was Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
In addition, Dr Wan Azizah said that the concept of shared responsibility in childcare matters needs to be put into practice to ensure women receive strong support from their families while working.
She added that it is essential to expand and improve the care sector to make it accessible and affordable for more families.
According to her, Malaysia has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) with exceptions that do not conflict with the Federal Constitution and Islamic law.
Dr Wan Azizah said that Malaysia received favourable responses from the presentation of its report at the recent Cedaw conference in Geneva.
Meanwhile, she said that data from 2021 revealed that women-owned businesses had contributed RM69.1 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provided jobs for nearly 800,000 workers.
Dr Wan Azizah said the data obtained during the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of women in enhancing the country’s economy, and she was optimistic that their contribution would continue to increase.
In the meantime, she said that the Malaysia Madani development agenda is a national initiative that requires support from all levels of society in the country.
“Malaysia Madani is a holistic administrative policy that emphasises human interests. We aspire for a nation with balanced development across physical, mental, spiritual, and other aspects by prioritising the interests of the people.
“I’m confident that women have a significant role in making this a success. One of the main agendas in the Madani Economy Framework is the target of 60 per cent female labour force participation compared to the current rate. As of 2023, we have achieved 56.3 per cent of female labour force participation,” she said.
Dr. Wan Azizah also said that the Unity government had introduced tax incentives aimed at encouraging more women to rejoin the workforce.
She said that the Ministry of Human Resources, through its agency TalentCorp, introduced the Wanita MyWira initiative this year, aimed at bridging the workforce gap. — Bernama
