The latest Malaysia Gender Gap Index (MGGI) released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) was also quite damning on Malaysia’s gender equality index and shows us what needs to be done to address inequalities. Photo: 123rf.com
Change doesn’t happen overnight, but progress is important to bring about the transformations necessary to shape a progressive society. And when we talk about gender equality, progress is the change we need to see.This
year, Malaysia saw several positive developments towards gender equality; the most obvious being legislative reform, or new laws that protect women and children.
This include the passing of the anti-stalking law (via amendments to the Penal Code) in May and amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and Evidence of Child Witness Act 2007 that were passed earlier in March, which added measures to protect children. The Acts now include new categories of offences and compensation for victims.
Penang Women’s Centre for Change (WCC) executive director Loh Cheng Kooi says this year saw “several good legislative reforms for women and children”, namely the amendments to the abovementioned Acts and the passing of the anti-stalking law.
“These positive changes meant increased protections for vulnerable women and children. Equally important now is to have improved and better-trained agencies personnel so these protections are translated into an improved criminal justice system for survivors of violence,” she says.
Under the new Section 507A of the Penal Code, stalking is defined as a repeated act of harassment, which is intended or is likely to cause distress, fear, or alarm to any person for their safety. With the law, victims of stalking can obtain a Protection Order, which stops the perpetrator from further terrorising them or even coming near them.
According to a recent report in The Star, the police report that so far, nine individuals have been investigated under the new law – two have been resolved while seven are pending (as of Dec 15).
Following the amendments, stalkers can be investigated, charged in court and punished with imprisonment of up to three years.
Equally important now is to have improved and better-trained agencies personnel so these protections are translated into an improved criminal justice system for survivors of violence, says Loh.More than good laws
While legislative victories such as these should be lauded, they are but a step towards the goal of achieving gender parity in all areas of life. They mark the start of a bigger struggle: ensuring that the full promise and protection guaranteed by law are implemented.
This means educating and training stakeholders – the police, public service staff and the public – about the criminality of stalking in particular, and gender violence in general.
For example, while criminalising stalking may deter the act and protect women from being terrorised, the root cause of such behaviour still needs to be addressed.
The society needs to change harmful patriarchal norms and beliefs that perpetuate sexism and misogyny which can lead to gender-based violence (GBV) and crimes such as stalking, domestic abuse, sexual harassment and child marriage, among others.
“The rising numbers of online child sexual abuse and exploitation is a serious concern for Malaysia,” says Loh. “But we have limited resources and knowledge to deal with this growing danger which impacts our children’s lives. We need to teach our children to be tech-savvy against sexual groomers and exploitations.”
“Domestic violence and intimate partner violence are also on the rise, sometimes resulting in fatalities. This still happens despite the Domestic Violence Act passed almost 30 years ago. How do family members, colleagues and relevant agencies help these victims?”
“Women and children are part of family and community. A holistic approach towards understanding and reducing gender violence is important for the well-being of our nation,” says Loh.
Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) raises similar concerns, citing the increase in domestic violence cases in media reports of rape and other forms of gender-based violence.
“Immediate steps have been taken to address these challenges, with commendable progress through the introduction of anti-stalking amendments and the implementation of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act (ASHA) in 2022. These legislative measures represent strides in the right direction, signaling a commitment to tackling GBV. However, there is an opportunity to do more.
“The 2021 WAO survey found that Malaysians are likely to first seek help from the police following incidences of domestic violence and sexual harassment. There is an urgent need for gender sensitivity and GBV trauma-informed training for frontline responders, including the police, one stop crisis centre (OCSS) and hospitals, as they play a crucial role in providing effective support to survivors from the beginning,” says WAO head of campaigns, Marina Abdullah.
Budget matters
The integration of gender-responsive budgeting into Malaysian policymaking demonstrates a deliberate effort to allocate resources precisely, says Marina.
“The Budget 2024 announcement included positive measures, such as raising income tax exemption limit for childcare allowances to incentivise women to re-enter the workforce. The expansion of the Employee Provident Fund’s (EPF) i-Suri and i-Sayang programmes reflects an understanding of evolving family roles.
“Allowing wives to transfer two percent of their EPF contribution to husbands supports househusbands, fostering inclusive family dynamics and economic responsibilities.
“However, it is crucial to examine their impact on marginalised groups, such as female-headed households, single mothers without recourse to childcare and rural women. An in-depth assessment is necessary to ensure that these policies effectively address the diverse needs and challenges faced by women across the society,” says Marina.
There needs to be regular evaluation and monitoring of the money spent to ensure that it achieves the intended goals. If the needs of women, girls and other marginalised groups are still not met, then interventions can be carried out to address the misalignment of funds.
And this process should be transparent to guarantee accountability. It is public funding, after all.
Even though the number of females in higher education surpases males, the gender pay gap persists and this needs to be addressed. - 123rf.com
Women still earn less
The latest Malaysia Gender Gap Index (MGGI) released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) was also quite damning on Malaysia’s gender equality index.
It found, among others, that women earned significantly less than men: On average, men earned an estimated income of RM63,117, while women only made RM42,080 in 2022.
It showed that while women’s achievement has surpassed men’s in education attainment (with a sub-index score of 1.067; a score of 1 means equality has been achieved), the same achievement is not recorded in the workforce.
To add to that, women’s labour force participation (LFP) rate is a low 55.8% compared to 81.9% for male. While LFP is not an absolute benchmark of equality since women are part of the informal labour force, this disparity reflects the discrimination women face in the workforce, including in the type of jobs they are offered and their participation in leadership positions.
On the domestic front, it is clear that many women bear most of the unpaid work at home which, according to numerous national and international studies, are among factors that force them to leave the formal workforce.
The data also showed a lack of parity in health and survival sub-index, with a score of 0.961, followed by economic participation and opportunity (0.644).
However, it was political empowerment of women that recorded the lowest score with 0.102, showing that women were clearly lagging behind men in politics. This has always been the case: The percentage of women leaders in parliament has never surpassed 20% since Malaysia’s independence, according to an article by advisory and training company LeadWomen, titled Why Do We Need More Women In Parliament?And this is clearly not for the want of educated, skilled or capable women who can do the job.
The most recent reshuffle of the Malaysian cabinet by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim could have rewritten the balance, even if a little. Instead, the addition of more male members made the ratio of women even smaller.
Women make up half of the country’s population – how will their needs and the diverse needs of the population be addressed if the Cabinet (whose members are law makers) is male-majority?
These are important considerations that we must take into 2024.
Changing norms, mindsets and behaviour
Another positive of 2023 was the introduction of women’s only coaches on MRT lines. The aim was to make this public transport service safer for women, who make up 62% of the My50 monthly travel pass holders.
Numerous studies show that women feel unsafe in public spaces, including on public transport. A study published by AWAM and Cent-GPS last year showed that 57% of the women surveyed experience verbal sexual harassment when walking in public, while 25% have experienced being stalked.
While the move was hailed by many female passengers – who may have experience harassment, witnessed it or are aware of its occurrence – there was pushback from men who claimed the move was “against gender equality” and ünfair”.
And to date, there are men invading the women-only space of these designated coaches, clearly showing a lack of awareness about the lived experiences of women.
Perhaps an awareness campaign would help inform the public about the rationale of the move while, at the same time, advocating for a more gender equal, aware and respectful society.
Malaysia is certainly not the first to implement these safe spaces: Japan introduced women-only carriages on its train lines at least a decade ago and India too has women-only metro carriages.
Since the country has set gender parity as one of the goals of the 12th Malaysia Plan, we need to make sure that our actions – policy, practices, programmes – all reflect this goal.
