Working to retain the women workforce - Malaysiakini

By Chong Eng

COMMENT We have a problem, as a nation, in retaining women in the workforce.

According to the Labour Force Survey Time Series Data 1982-2013 released by the Department of Statistics, it is estimated that there were 327,700 women in Penang’s workforce in 2013.

In other words, the participation rate of women in the labour force in Penang was 57 percent. In comparison, the national women’s labour force participation rate during that period was 52.4 percent.

Out of the Penang total, it is estimated that 321,300 women were working while 6,500 women were unemployed, making the unemployment rate two percent. At the same time, a total of 247,300 women were outside the labour force, which means that they are not looking to enter the workforce. This includes students and housewives.

How do we increase women’s participation in the workforce? A sustainable solution is not only to provide more jobs, but also to find ways to retain women at work. Statistics show that many women start to leave their jobs permanently from the ages of 25 to 29 onwards – after marriage and children.

To retain women at work, numerous factors must be addressed.

However, the key problem to address is gender inequality. Even today, women are affected by gender stereotypes – where society largely assumes that a woman’s place is at home, with her family and children, and a man’s place is at work.

Although it is more common nowadays to see men contributing to housework and childcare, this is still far below women’s contribution.

In fact, gender inequality remains a problem even for women in leadership positions, like in the civil service and politics.

Here, I want to respond to the statement by Shahidan Kassim, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, in Parliament on Tuesday, May 19. Shahidan said: “Hiring [in the public service] is not based on gender.”

To back up his point, he went on to say: “The secretaries-general of the Health Ministry, the Science Ministry, Miti (Trade and Industry Ministry) are women. There are women ministers. There are many women MPs… what is happening before our eyes shows that (gender) is not taken into account in promotions.” 

Women face many invisible barriers

Shahidan’s statement ignores the reality that even women leaders in politics and public service face many invisible barriers.

Currently we have 25 women MPs in Parliament, out of a total of 222 MPs, or a mere 10.8 percent, which is hardly “many.” Women leaders also face the ‘glass ceiling’ at work, stereotyping by society, and family pressures at home.

Women leaders still face widespread assumptions that they are too ‘emotional’ to make decisions or be leaders, or that a woman’s main responsibility is to her husband, children and family.

The lack of childcare is also a persistent problem – for example, despite the 2012, 2013 and 2014 government incentive programmes for setting up childcare centres, creches were set up in only 99 of the 1,378 government agencies across Malaysia in 2014, as a news report showed.

Even when there is no blatant gender discrimination, gender inequality in the form of expectations, stereotypes and lack of family- or woman-friendly facilities continues to impact women’s opportunities at work.

As for Penang, the Penang Institute 2014 study titled 'Explaining Women's Labour Force Participation – A Case Study of Penang' has proposed some solutions, such as providing courses for retraining and upgrading skills of women who wish to return to work, and develop entrepreneurship and self-employment skills.

In addition, the Penang Institute study recommends the creation of affordable and accessible childcare, family-friendly workplaces that practice flexible working hours, and extended maternity leave for mothers and paternity leave for fathers.

This study was commissioned by the State Economic Planning Unit, and will be used as a basis for further planning and dialogue with employers.

At present, the Penang government, through the Penang Women's Development Corporation (PWDC), is actively promoting the culture and values of gender equality in the workplace.

A model childcare centre

PWDC regularly conducts its Lean In @ Penang Forums, that are inspired by the book 'Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead' by the chief operating officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. These forum series bring the message of gender equality at work and at home to both women and men in the corporate and professional sectors.

In terms of childcare, PWDC operates the Taska D’Komtar, which serves as a model childcare centre that employers can implement at their workplaces. In addition, PWDC supervises the Pusat Jagaan Kanak-Kanak (PJKK) in Rifle Range, Ayer Itam, and the PJKK in Bukit Mertajam.

PWDC has also launched a mapping system that maps all registered childcare centres in Penang. The mapping system is a database for parents and caregivers, and encourages childcare centres to register with the Social Welfare Department.

It is time for all of us – federal and state governments, the private sector, employers and workers – to help uphold gender equality in our society.

If we want Penang and Malaysia to become a developed state, we need equal opportunities – for men and women, at home and work – to make it happen. It is time for us to collectively work towards retaining women in the workforce.