KUALA LUMPUR: Several Budget 2025 initiatives involving women announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have been described as an agenda for the empowerment of the group, besides giving clear indicators regarding their contribution to the country.
Prof Dr Haslinda Abdullah, the director of the Institute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), said the government's target, including increasing women's involvement as board members in the top 100 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, could indirectly bridge the gender gap in Malaysia.
In addition, she said, the government's measures in encouraging women to return to the workforce, with various incentives offered under the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, could be achieved by ensuring comprehensive training opportunities are provided for them.
"In the context of work and life balance for career women, more flexibility must be given to those who are breadwinners and the sandwich generation, especially in this era where work from home is practical for some careers.
"For those who have work from the office, childcare services must be improved, including employers providing a comfortable space for breastfeeding. An improved quality of life for women will have an impact on their emotional and mental well-being, which in turn will have a positive impact on the family and society,” she said when contacted by Bernama on Sunday (Oct 20).
Budget 2025, tabled by Anwar in Parliament on Friday (Oct 18), also touched on the Women's Leadership Apprenticeship Programme (Perantis) being intensified under the ministry as an effort to produce more corporate figures among women.
In addition, the Returnship programme will be implemented aimed at encouraging women to return to work in the financial sector by providing training facilities, followed by connecting with suitable prospective employers.
The government also proposed to provide an additional income tax exemption of 50% for 12 months for employers who hire women returning to work.
Meanwhile, Dr Nadisah Zakaria, the senior lecturer at the School of Business at Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, described the RM650mil allocation to support women and youth in entrepreneurship as a step towards fostering inclusivity and diversity in the business landscape.
She said this initiative reflected a growing recognition of the critical role played by women in economic and entrepreneurship development.
"The provision of financial support through institutions like the SME Bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional, Bank Rakyat and Majlis Amanah Rakyat not only facilitates access to capital but also empowers women entrepreneurs to expand their business and be innovative in their respective fields.
"This effort is in line with the wider objective, namely gender equality and economic empowerment for sustainable growth. The main thing we want to see is how this allocation is channelled, how it reaches the targeted groups and how it is fully capitalised on,” she said.
Nadisah said women entrepreneurs today must focus on mastering fields related to digital literacy and e-commerce, sustainable business practices, financial management, networking and collaboration, constraints that need to be overcome, access to information as well as work-and-life balance.
She added that women's participation in entrepreneurship comprised services (92.7%); manufacturing (5.1%), construction (1.4%) and agriculture (0.8%). - Bernama
