Domestic responsibility prevents women from working

KUCHING, 5 Oct: Domestic responsibilities and family care are among the main factors leading to women being out of workforce in Malaysia.

Sarawak's Minister of Women, Child Development and Community Welfare, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said that about 42.8 percent of the 4.89 million women who are out of workforce cite domestic responsibility and home care as the main reason they do not work.

He said the situation underscores the importance of providing a care support system to enable more women to work and continue their career development.

"Approximately 42.8 per cent of Malaysia's 4.89 million women outside the workforce cite domestic responsibility and care as their main reasons for being out of work.

"And that's why among the very important agendas under our ministry is to provide those services through taskas, tabika and similar services.

"This will allow women to go to work without having to worry about their children's safety and how the child is taken care of when they are away", she said.

She said this in her speech at the Sarawak Women of Tomorrow 2026 (Season 5) event organised by the Women's Leadership Foundation at a resort in Kuching, today.

Fatimah explained that the Sarawak Government also provides assistance to women or couples who send children to private pockets or tabika, with the support extended to households with incomes up to RM7,000.

He said that the issue of care not only involves children, but also includes citizen care which can impact on the career sustainability of women.

He said supports such as job flexibility, career sustainability, workplace culture, mentoring and professional development opportunities should be created to ensure that women remain on the career path and progress to leadership level.