Introducing equal parental leave between fathers and mothers can help reduce the gender pay gap in Malaysia, a United Nations official has suggested.

Speaking at an online forum, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Malaysia assistant representative Tengku Aira Tengku Razif said the country's laws currently provide for a 98-day maternity leave, while men only get seven days paternity leave.

Citing the parental leave model employed in Europe, she said the countries there enforced equal leave allocation between fathers and mothers and it has proven to benefit women...