PETALING JAYA: Wanita MCA has urged the government to put in place proper legislation requiring all companies to set up daycare centres at the workplace.
This would encourage women to re-enter the workforce after giving birth, said Wanita MCA chairman Datuk Yu Chok Tow in a statement.
Yu said many women were forced to make a decision between their career and family after marriage, especially when they have children.
She added that this forced experienced women to choose their families, making them unable to return to work, and this proves to be a great loss to the country’s labour market.
“The decision to choose their families over their work is also another cause of brain drain, and the government is obligated to draft good policies to allow women to develop their careers in their workplace,” she said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had recently called for all companies to set up daycare centres at their workplace.
Yu said private companies have only minor requirements in the setting up of nurseries as the government had yet to study the possibility of fully implementing this measure.
“Every year we see the government making the same appeal with a lack of response from the private sector. This then results in a lack of attention towards women’s needs,” she said.
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