KUALA LUMPUR: Over half a million housewives are expected to register for the Housewives Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) by the end of this year, says the Social Security Organisation (Socso).
To achieve this, more online advertisements and awareness campaigns will be launched throughout the next three months from Oct 1 to December 31 as part of the newly launched Ayuh Daftar Suri @ Perkeso campaign.
Launched by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail here on Tuesday (Oct 3), the former deputy prime minister said the renewed push was to ensure social justice and welfare for women.
"Women aged from 15 to 64 years old represent 49.33% of the total Malaysian population and they make up a huge amount of our national gross domestic product (GDP).
"Housewives in particular, through unpaid work by managing family affairs in the care economy, contribute heavily to our economy even if they usually go unrecognised.
"As such, it is vital that all of them are aware of the importance of SKSSR and its role in protecting them," she told the press at the Karnival Aspirasi Madani opening ceremony on Tuesday.
The Bandar Tun Razak MP added that the new awareness campaign would employ the use of all available platforms across the various related ministries to advertise the scheme to the public.
Socso chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed agreed, adding there was a need to ensure housewives against the various dangers they face daily.
"Just like a normal job, housewives face a lot of risk of injury and illness in their day to day lives whether it is through accidents at home or when they go outside to buy groceries.
"By opting into the SKSSR, housewives will be able to live much more safer and stable lives regardless of the challenges they may face," he said.
The SKSSR was previously implemented on Dec 1, 2022, under the Housewives’ Social Security Act 2022, with the goal of providing social security protection to housewives against domestic injury, illnesses and invalidity while managing their households.
The scheme requires a contribution of only RM120 a year, which can be made either by the housewife herself or by her husband, family members or any other third party.
