EMPOWERING WOMEN ININ THETHE MALAYSIANMALAYSIAN CORPORATECORPORATE SECTORSECTOR Published by: EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI) Address: Suite 10.01, Level 10, Menara Atlan, 161B Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603 2162 6298 Fax: +603 2162 6198 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.eumcci.com Author: Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) Website: www.malaysia.ahk.de Publication Date: JULY 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transported in any form by any means, without the prior written permission of EUMCCI. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this book, the authors and publisher accept no responsibility for any errors it may contain, or for any loss, nancial or otherwise, sustained by any person using this publication. DISCLAIMER: The content of this ‘Report’ does not reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Theviews expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher as the author. However, efforts have been made to publish accurate, valid and reliable information. The information presented is not aimed at addressing any particular circumstances or any entity. However, EUMCCI shall not liable for damages, loss or expense including without limitation, direct, incidental, special or consequential damage or economic loss from or in connection with the data and/or findings published in this series. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of figures and tables ..................................................................................................................... 04 List of abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. 04 Executive summary .............................................................................................................................. 05 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... ............. 07 Rationale .............................................................................................................................. ........ 07 Scope ............................................................................................................................... ............. 08 Introduction to Malaysia ....................................................................................................................... 09 Key facts: Malaysia ..................................................................................................................... 10 Malaysia’s National Policies & Plans on Women ............................................................................... 11 National budget .......................................................................................................................... 12 Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development (MWFCD) ................................... 13 Regulatory agencies and related associations ....................................................................... 14 The Role of Women in Malaysia ............................................................................................................ 15 Status & family structure .......................................................................................................... 16 Political & legal status ............................................................................................................... 17 Society & economy ..................................................................................................................... 17 Women in labour force ................................................................................................. 19 Women in the boardroom ............................................................................................ 20 Women owned establishments & entrepreneurship ................................................ 22 What are the barriers to career advancement for corporate women? ............................................. 24 Do Malaysian women even want to work? ............................................................................. 24 Women who want to work ......................................................................................................... 25 Self-fulfilment ................................................................................................................. 25 Financial security ............................................................................................................ 25 Women who don’t want to work / women who have to work .............................................. 26 Rising cost of living ....................................................................................................... 26 Waiting for marriage ..................................................................................................... 26 Barriers to career advancement for corporate women .......................................................... 27 Internal factors ................................................................................................................ 27 External factors ............................................................................................................... 30 The uneven work environment .................................................................................... 33 Road map to gender equality ................................................................................................................ 36 Creating awareness & changing behaviours .......................................................................... 36 Incentives for women to continue working ............................................................................ 36 Mentorship and sponsorship programs ................................................................................. 38 Developing family friendly work designs ................................................................................ 38 The Future is Female / Conclusion........................................................................................................ 39 Appendix A Regulatory agencies ................................................................................................................... 40 Related associations ................................................................................................................... 41 03 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1: Map of Malaysia ............................................................................................................. 09 Figure 2: National Policies and Strategies Related to Women and TalentCorp Malaysia .......................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 3: CEDAW ............................................................................................................................. 13 Figure 4: Trends in Malaysia's HDI Component Indices 1990 – 2017 .................................... 15 Figure 5: More Women in the Workforce Can Further Boost Malaysia's Growth Prospects ........................................................................................................................ 18 Figure 6: Labour Force Participation Rate by Sex, 1995 – 2017 ............................................. 19 Figure 7: Labour Force of Malaysia, Fourth Quarter 2018 ....................................................... 19 Figure 8: Figure 8 Women on Board, 2017 .................................................................................. 21 Figure 9: Distribution of Women-owned SMEs by Sector (%) .................................................. 22 Figure 10: Women Entrepreneurship Programmes in Malaysia ................................................ 23 Figure 11: Median monthly salaries and wages of employees by age group and gender in Malaysia, 2016 ...................................................................................... 33 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 11MP 11th Malaysia Plan LFPR labour force participation rate ASEAN Association of Southeast LPPKN Family Development Board Asian Nations LPPKN National Population and APAW Action Plan for the Family Development Board Advancement for Women MP Member of Parliament BNM Bank Negara Malaysia NAWEM National Association Women FEM Federation of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia Entrepreneurs Associate NGO Non-Governmental Malaysia Organisation GDP Gross Domestic Product NIEW NAM Institute for the HAWA Department of Women Affairs Empowerment of Women HDI Human Development Index NPW National Policy for Women ISM Social Institute of Malaysia PLC public listed companies JKMM Social Welfare Department RM Ringgit Malaysia of Malaysia SME small-medium enterprises JPW Department for Women USD United States Dollar Development KPWKM / MWFCD Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development 04 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this study is to shed light on the key issues faced by women working in the Malaysian corporate sector, with the eventual goal to address the barriers to and deterrents of career advancement. The proportion of women workers in Malaysia is on par with upper-middle income countries, but the present statistical evidence of 55.6% women labour force participation rate is significantly less than