PETALING JAYA: Gender equality strengthens rather than weakens family institutions according to prominent Malaysian leaders.
Prime Minister’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail emphasised that educated and economically independent mothers create more resilient families.
“The family is the first ‘madrasah’, the first school of equity and equality, where our sons learn respect by observing how their father treats their mother, and daughters learn confidence by being heard and valued,” she said during her keynote address at the Gender Outlook Forum 2025.
Dr Wan Azizah stressed that gender equality represents a broader societal vision rather than merely a women’s issue.
“We are working together to address shared challenges, from promoting women’s economic empowerment to combating gender-based violence,” she added.
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to raising female labour force participation to 60% by 2030.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri outlined the four-pillar framework focusing on economy, leadership, safety and well-being.
“Among the key initiatives introduced are the expansion of affordable childcare access, including workplace-based child nurseries, to support working mothers,” Nancy stated during her opening speech.
The Wanita Bangkit@KPWKM programme has already empowered 9,400 women through entrepreneurship training and business grants.
Nancy highlighted additional initiatives including Gig@BIT for digital skills development and MamaCare which trained over 800 women as professional caregivers.
Safety measures include enforcing the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act and criminalising stalking behaviours.
The ministry introduced PERANTIS, a leadership programme connecting 100 mentors with 5,000 participants nationwide.
“With an allocation of 5 million ringgit this year, the programme connects 100 distinguished mentors with 5,000 participants nationwide,” said Nancy.
Structural barriers including caregiving demands remain key reasons women leave the workforce.
Malaysia’s current female labour force participation rate stands at 55.8%, among the lowest in ASEAN.
The two-day forum brought together nearly 200 participants from government, international organisations and civil society. – Bernama