INTERACTIVE: Less pay for women, as wage gap widens in Malaysia

Women continue to face an uphill battle with the gender pay gap in Malaysia, but efforts are being made by the government to address it. - 123rf

PETALING JAYA: Women are taking home a smaller pay cheque than men in Malaysia - and this gap is getting wider.

For overall jobs, an average female worker earned a median salary of RM2,464 a month in 2023, while men were paid RM2,675.

This means women were generally paid 7.9% less than men - a gap that has grown bigger from 4.9% in 2018.

Currently, there are also more female professionals in various fields in Malaysia - about 6,400 more than men, but they earn about 19% less than their male counterparts.

Such is based on calculations on the median monthly salaries reported by the Statistics Department.

Fortunately, the government is taking measures to narrow the gap.

The Human Resources Ministry is looking into strengthening the enforcement of laws, such as introducing stricter penalties for those found guilty of gender-based pay disparity.

"The ministry may look into ensuring that employers comply with regulations that require non-discriminatory wage practices, in line with the Employment Act," the ministry told The Star.

It is also developing a National Labour and Human Resources Policy, which will include provisions to address gender-related issues such as the wage gap.

"This will likely involve recommendations for equal pay for equal work, improved workplace equality, and measures to reduce discrimination in hiring, promotions, and salaries," the ministry said.

When contacted, Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the government was also looking into expanding the care industry to help women return to work while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

She said she will push for an increase in the number of professional carers for the elderly, children, and persons with disabilities, as caregiving responsibilities often fall on women.

“My personal stance is clear: We must accelerate efforts to create an environment where women have a fair opportunity to participate fully in the workforce,” Nancy said, ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow (March 8).

Other efforts are promoting upskilling and reskilling programmes to help women enter high-growth and higher-paying sectors.

 

How big is the gap?

While there's progress, women in Malaysia still earn, on average, less than men for similar roles and responsibilities, said Nancy.

“This disparity is even more pronounced in certain industries and among working mothers, many of whom face challenges in returning to the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities,” said the minister.

The Human Resources Ministry, citing a study by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI), said the wage gap between men and women was improving but disparities persist across various sectors and occupations.

"Men consistently out-earn women even in sectors where women are well-represented," it said.

Based on data from the Statistics Department, women with professional jobs like accountants, doctors, lawyers and teachers earned a median salary of RM5,046 a month in 2023.

But it’s 18.6% less than the RM6,201 received by male professionals, according to the department’s Statistics on Women Empowerment in Selected Domains.

It’s a similar story for managers, where females earned 17.3% less than males.

Here is a glimpse of how the gender pay gap looks like among professionals and managers.

Click on the arrow buttons to see the next graphic:

 

In the same report by the department, scores for wage equality for similar work also declined from 0.740 in 2022 to 0.719 in 2023.

As a higher score means better equality between men and women, such data reflects the widening wage gap.

The salary gap over the years can also be seen in the graph below, which compares the median monthly salaries of men and women in similar roles.

 

Meanwhile, male graduates continued to earn higher salaries than females throughout the years, as shown in the department’s Graduate Statistics.

In 2023, the median monthly salaries for male graduates stood at RM4,800, compared to RM4,350 for females.

In the chart below, watch how male graduates consistently earn more than females since 2016:

 

Commenting on this, Nancy said the expanding wage gap highlighted ongoing disparities in economic participation.

“This is despite the higher educational attainment among women,” she said.

Nancy said even though women have high levels of education, their fields of study may not always align with high-paying industries, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), where female participation remains lower.

“Therefore, women are often concentrated in lower-paying sectors such as education, nursing and administrative roles, whereas men dominate higher-paying fields like engineering, technology and finance.

“Even within the same sectors, women tend to occupy lower-ranking positions, limiting their earning potential,” she said.

Last year, the KRI reported that women’s educational attainment had improved, comprising 52% of those with tertiary education, yet they represent only 37.7% of the labour force.

Despite having similar qualifications, male and female graduates also had differing wages.

In 2023, a female graduate with a degree earned a median monthly salary of RM4,945 - 10.5% less than a male degree-holder’s RM5,465.

 

 

Selangor, KL have largest disparities

Across the 16 states and territories in Malaysia, workers in Selangor experienced the biggest pay gap between men and women.

Female employees in the state earned 19.7% less than males, at a monthly average salary of RM3,426 compared with the RM4,267 received by men.

In second place was Kuala Lumpur whereby the gender wage gap was at 15.5%, followed by Johor with 9.6%.

 

Interestingly, eight states in Malaysia recorded average salaries where women earned more than men, with Kelantan women topping the list.

Female workers in Kelantan brought home an average pay of RM3,180, which was 18% more than the men’s RM2,695.

 

 

March on, women

To further bridge the gap between men and women, the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry is committed to continue advocating for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

“This involves ensuring that policies are more gender-sensitive and provide greater opportunities for women in various sectors,” said Nancy.

She said the ministry was also collaborating with the Human Resource Ministry through TalentCorp to encourage more women to return to and remain in the workforce.

This year, Malaysia will celebrate International Women’s Day 2025 with the theme "Wanita Beraspirasi, Membina Legasi" (Aspiring Women, Building Legacies).

“It’s a powerful reminder that women are not only shaping their own futures but also leaving a lasting impact on families, communities, and the nation.

“The government remains committed to advancing policies that promote gender equality, economic empowerment, and safety for all women in Malaysia,” Nancy said.

However, she said it was also up to employers, policymakers, communities, and families to uplift women.

“Moving forward, we hope that industry players will continue to improve their human resource policies to provide better wages for women while ensuring equal opportunities for career advancement,” she said.

“One critical area where urgent action is needed is women’s participation in politics and decision-making roles.

“Currently, only 13.5% of Members of Parliament in Malaysia are women—a rate that remains far too low.

“We need more women at the table, not only to represent the diverse voices of half our population but also to bring about inclusive policies that benefit society as a whole,” she said.