INTERACTIVE: Malaysia needs more women in the workforce but barriers remain

Public policy can help challenge social norms that normalise women bearing the load of the 'second shift' of work that happens in homes. Photo: 123rf.com

For the longest time, the high number of females in institutions of higher learning in Malaysia has been used as a signifier of the progress of women in this country.

An impressive 61% of students enrolled in undergraduate programmes in Malaysian universities and colleges were female (358,000 female students compared to 234,000 males) in 2021.