Employers Must Allow Recently-Widowed Women to Work From Home

On Tuesday (Mar 8), the government unveiled six steps to ensure that Malaysian women continue to be empowered, including allowing women whose husbands have recently died to work from home (WFH) for a reasonable period.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri said he was well aware of the grief and hardship felt by widowed women and that heads of departments and senior management would be obligated to allow these employees to work from home to manage their family issues.

 

One woman director proposal to take effect on Sept 1

He added that a proposal to require at least one woman director to be appointed to public listed businesses is anticipated to take effect on Sept 1 this year and Jun 1 next year for other listed companies.

"To appreciate and recognise the contributions of women, the Women's Day celebration must be held on Mar 8 every year at all levels, regardless of federal or state," the Prime Minister said at the Women's Day 2022 event at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

In addition, Ismail stated that the government had established the National Women's Council, passed the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, and strengthened the Hakam Institution under the Syariah Court to assist women going through a protracted divorce process.

He also praised the accomplishments of Malaysian women, who have become increasingly successful in various sectors, both at home and abroad.

 

Closing the gender gap

According to Ismail Sabri, Malaysia's score in the Global Gender Gap Index 2021 shows that the country has closed the gap in the education and health sub-indices. However, he said that participation in the economic and political realms remained limited.

In terms of the economy and employment, women's participation rates remained low, at 55.6% compared to 80.8% for men.

Furthermore, he stated that for every RM100 in income and wages earned by men, women received only RM94.07. The difference is rising, particularly among B40 women, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The jobless rate among Malaysian women grew to 307,000 in the first quarter of 2021, up from 215,700 in the same period of 2020.

"Recognising this, the administration will continue to focus on women's well-being because I am certain that, given the chance, women can be on par with men as the country's primary driver of productivity and economic growth," he said.

The Prime Minister also handed out the Women's Icon Award to eight women in the categories of economy, education, health, leadership, security, law, 'Wanita Bangkit,' and the

The Tun Fatimah Special Award went to Norazizah Borhan, the founder and president of the International Women Entrepreneurs Association Malaysia.

The Tun Fatimah Special Award honours individuals who have made significant contributions both locally and abroad.

Source: BERNAMA