Prime minister’s wife Rosmah Mansor believes that women need supportive spouses and family members to succeed.

Speaking at the Asean Young Women Leadership Conference today, Rosmah said this is because women regard their husbands and family members as the enabling factor for them to continue their careers and excel in their chosen fields.

“If there is a breakdown in the family institution, it would be difficult for these women to unplug themselves from their career routine, thus disabling them from finding their equilibrium in achieving their work-life balance,” she said in her opening speech at the event in Kuala Lumpur today.

On this, Rosmah also pointed out that a lot of women decline to be in senior positions because they want greater work-life balance, and not because they are incapable.

This shows how women often hold themselves back for advancement with self-imposed barriers, she said.

“Not all barriers facing women can be attributed to the glass ceiling imposed by the traditional workplace.”

Citing top female entrepreneur Zeynap Ilgaz, she said women are held back in their workplace for several reasons, among them, the fear of failure as well as inferiority complex.

To counter these barriers, Rosmah believes that women simply need to trust their ability and instincts.

“Women are wired with great intuition. Women must learn to embrace mistakes and look at mistakes as an opportunity to learn and improve.”

Women, too, should feel comfortable vocalising their ideas, instead of simply agreeing with their male counterparts to improve themselves, she said.

Rosmah also urged women who are at the top of their profession to reach out to mentor potential young women.

“This is what young women employees miss in their development programmes, a role model for them to emulate.

“The more role models we have across all industries, the more likely it is for female leaders of the future to be inspired,” she said.

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