Women shoulder six hours of unpaid care work daily, says deputy minister

PARLIAMENT | Malaysian women spend more than six hours a day on unpaid domestic and care work, shouldering a disproportionate burden that continues to keep many out of the workforce.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Lim Hui Ying said the work, largely involving childcare, elderly care and household responsibilities, has an estimated economic value of RM379 billion.

Citing Statistics Department (DOSM) findings, Lim (above) said women spend an average of six hours and seven minutes daily on such activities, compared with about four hours and 20 minutes for men.

This accounts for 25.5 percent of women's daily time, against 18.1 percent for men.

"Findings from DOSM's study among women aged 25 to 59 who are outside the labour force show that caregiving responsibilities are the main factor influencing their decision," she told the Dewan Rakyat during Minister's Question Time today, in response to Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), who asked how many women aged 25 to 59 remained outside the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities.

The RM379 billion estimate, based on a 2024 study by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, represents the potential market value of unpaid domestic and care work performed within households.

According to DOSM's labour force statistics released on Oct 9, about 7.11 million Malaysians were outside the labour force in August 2026, with housework and family responsibilities accounting for 43.6 percent of the total.

Women made up 69.5 percent, or 4.89 million, of those outside the labour force in 2025.

Lim further said the government is developing the care economy under the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2026–2030, launched last November.

"The government does not view the establishment of a care economy as a project or programme with a specific beginning and end, but as a transformation of the national care ecosystem to be implemented progressively from 2026 to 2030 and beyond," she said.

Supporting caregivers or creating jobs?

In a supplementary question, Mas Ermieyati challenged the government's policy direction, asking whether it was prioritising support for unpaid caregivers or developing an industry that employs professional care workers.

"Are we developing an economy that supports caregivers, or are we merely developing an industry that employs care workers?" she asked.

Citing the government's target of producing 50,000 skilled care workers by 2030, she argued that the two objectives should be evaluated separately.

Lim replied that the government's approach covered both care services and employment opportunities.

"We are now entering an era in which caregiving is increasingly essential.

"This is not solely about providing care services. We are also taking seriously the need to establish caregiving as a source of employment, business and entrepreneurial opportunities for everyone," she said.

Responding separately to Vivian Wong Shir Yee (Harapan-Sandakan), Lim outlined initiatives to help women return to employment, including affordable childcare, skills training and recognition of caregiving qualifications.

These include an RM180 monthly childcare subsidy for eligible children and RM3,000 in tax relief for childcare expenses involving children up to 12 years old.

Under Budget 2027, tax relief will also be expanded to cover general care expenses for parents and grandparents, not just healthcare costs.

Lim said approximately RM40 million had been allocated through the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp) to train 8,000 care workers, while another 3,000 caregivers would be trained to support persons with disabilities.

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