KUALA LUMPUR: The government is committed to raising the role of women in the old and gas industry, especially at the decision-making level, says Economy Ministry's Deputy secretary-general Datuk Dr Yatimah Sarjiman.
"The energy industry has been proactive in increasing the participation of women in a field that has historically been male-dominated. Today's event is a testament to our progress," she said at the Oil and Gas Asia 2024, here on Thursday (Sept 26)
Yatimah said that as of 2023, five out of 26 public-listed oil and gas services and equipment (OGSE) companies in Malaysia have attained at least 30% female representation on their boards. At the senior management level, nine of the 26 OGSE public-listed companies have achieved at least 30% female representation.
"While we still face a significant journey to close the gender diversity gap, these improvements are meaningful. The oil, gas, and energy sector is steadily advancing towards a more diverse and resilient future," said Yatimah.
At the same time, the Malaysian Women in Energy (MyWiE) says much more needs to be done to ensure women receive equal treatment in oil and gas companies.
During the "Fuelling women in energy: Driving diversity and inclusion across the entire energy sector value chain" workshop at the event, MyWiE secretariat and Malaysian Gas Association council member Ramanrao Abdullah said policies to encourage women to play critical roles in fuel-energy companies are perceived to be poorly executed.
He also called for better maternity benefits for mothers and fathers.
"For example, paternity leave should be allowed for fathers after the maternity leave ends to ease the return of new mothers to work," said Ramanrao.
