Over 50% of women have been harassed and judged at work, survey finds

According to WAO, the survey results support the critical need for policy change, including passing amendments to the Employment Act 1955 in the next Parliament session. Photo: 123rf.com

More than 50% of the women surveyed said they have experienced at least one form of gender discrimination in the workplace, according to Women’s Aid Organisation'a (WAO) Voices of Malaysian Women On Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace survey.This includes receiving comments or questions about their marital status or plans to start a family, being passed over for promotion in favour of less qualified colleagues, and being asked to do tasks that are not asked of male colleagues, such as making coffee and preparing refreshments.

The survey, in collaboration with research agency Vase.ai, collected insights from 1,010 Malaysian women and sought to understand the prevalence of and women’s experience with workplace harassment and discrimination.