The participation of women in the country's labour market constitutes only two-fifths of the labour force even though half of the Malaysian working-age population are women.

According to a Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) report, in the 2017 Global Gender Gap report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Malaysia ranked 87 out of 144 countries in terms of Economic Participation and Opportunity, down seven places from 2016.

Among the Asean countries, Malaysia ranks higher only to Indonesia (108th place) whereas most of the country's regional peers rank significantly above Malaysia, Laos at 22nd, Singapore 27th, Vietnam 33rd, and Brunei 61st.

"Whilst global awareness of the gender gap in the labour force has burgeoned in recent years, more needs to be studied with regard to the state of women in the economy in Malaysia," according to the report titled "The State of Households 2018: Different Realities" under the "Women in the Workforce - A Work in Progress" segment. The report was launched by Khazanah Nasional Berhad managing director Shahril Ridza Ridzuan today.

Among the other highlights of the report are:

men and women make up a roughly equal proportion of the working-age population but the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of both sexes differs significantly.
in 2017, the Malaysian working-age population comprised of 9.5 million women and 9.8 million men and, of this, only 53.5 percent of women participated in the labour force compared with 77.7 percent of men.
within the past two decades, the gender gap in LFPR has narrowed by almost 38 percent, from 38.9 percentage points in 1995 to 24.2 percentage points in 2017. The women LFPR increased by 8.0 percentage points to 53.5 percent, nine times more than the 0.9 percentage point increase recorded during the 1995-2010 period.
there are substantially more women outside the labour force than men – twice to be exact, with 4.4 million women and 2.2 million men.
around 69.3 percent of men stay outside the labour force for education, which corresponds with the proportion of men who are between 15 and 24 years and as for women, 58.0 percent, or 2.6 million women do not join the labour force due to family responsibilities. By contrast, only 3.2 percent or 69,800 men do for the same reason.
despite their educational achievement, many women are hindered from participating in the labour force due to family responsibilities.
the issue of unequal pay and, like virtually everywhere else worldwide, the gender wage gap has persisted in Malaysia with women earning less than men throughout time. In 2013, Malaysian women on average earned 8.3 percent less than men; four years later, the gender pay gap stands at 6.2 percent, where women’s mean monthly salaries and wages mark RM2,772, and men’s, RM2,954.
there is a need to increase women empowerment in helping the country progress, socially and economically.
one of the core reasons underlying the gender inequality pattern in Malaysia is the disproportionate responsibility for unpaid care work borne by women.

The report also suggests a few initiatives to alleviate women’s challenge to balance family and work, among others, first, flexibility in work arrangements will enable women who are willing to join the labour force to do so and this could be offered either through flexible hours or workplaces, childcare facilities at work or the like.

Second, redistributing family responsibilities between men and women is as important as any other labour market measures to enable women’s economic empowerment and, at the same time, to ensure the strengthening of family institutions.

As the economy continues to face long-term challenges such as an ageing population and rapid technological advancement, attaining an inclusive and equitable labour market has become increasingly crucial. It follows that addressing the tension between care responsibilities and women’s economic participation is of utmost importance.

"It matters not only for expanding the capabilities and opportunities for both women and men to contribute jointly on the professional and domestic fronts but also for the sustainability of our growth model by ensuring the well-being of all is taken care of," it concluded.

- Bernama