NGOs: More should be done to balance the scales for women at work

Offering flexible work arrangements is one way to help women bridge the gender wage gap, say NGOs.

PETALING JAYA: More transparency for salaries, allowing more flexible work arrangements and setting wage baselines at work - such are ways we can further close the gender wage gap in Malaysia.

As women continue to earn less than men in similar roles, various quarters have called on for more urgent action to address the growing wage gap.

All Women’s Action Society programme officer Huang Jin Qiu said the pay gap between male and female graduates with the same qualifications was “disappointing but not surprising.”

“To address this issue, the government should consider introducing a Gender Equality Act.

“Such a law would provide a legal framework to combat workplace discrimination and hold employers accountable for wage disparities,” she said.

Huang said introducing mandatory pay disclosure policies that require companies to report salary data by gender would also help identify and rectify unjustified wage differences.

“Transparency can push organisations to take corrective action and foster a culture of accountability,” she added.

Huang was commenting on the growing gender pay gap in Malaysia, based on data from the Statistics Department.

For example, female professionals earn less than their male counterparts - they make a median salary of RM5,046 a month as compared to the RM6,201 received by men.

Huang said the gender wage gap in Malaysia is a reflection of deeply entrenched societal and workplace biases.

“One key factor is the persistent stereotyping of women as less capable than men.

“Women in leadership positions, for instance, are often described as 'bossy' or 'arrogant'—labels rarely applied to their male counterparts,” she said, adding that this bias influences hiring, promotion, and salary decisions.

Another major contributor is the unequal burden of unpaid care work.

“Women are still expected to take on the bulk of household and childcare responsibilities, which leads to perceptions that they are 'less productive' or a greater liability to employers,” she said.

Women's Aid Organisation research project manager Anis Farid said the gender wage gap is actually a “care gap”, based on studies.

“Essentially, the pay gap between men and women widens when they begin having kids, because women often have to face more career setbacks.

“For example, in Malaysia, maternity leave is 98 days, whereas paternity leave is only seven days.

“This automatically means a woman will likely take more time off after having a child – as she should,” she said.

However, the more time a woman takes off, the more difficult it may be to sustain previous career progression.

"It's not by any fault of her own and this can manifest in a pay gap," Anis said.

To minimise the gap, she said it was crucial to set a baseline for the gender pay gap, including understanding how it has changed over the past few years.

“The first step the government could take is to incentivise voluntary reporting of pay transparency for publicly listed companies, for example through tax benefits,” she said.

Alternatively, Anis said an industry benchmarking exercise could be done, using anonymous data for each industry to establish a baseline.

“This can be less sensitive and companies can still be incentivised to participate,” she said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman urged bosses to conduct regular pay audits to identify pay disparities.

“As women often face challenges due to workplace culture and family responsibilities, bosses could provide mentorship programmes and leadership training.

“Offering flexible hours, hybrid work options, and parental leave policies will greatly support women without penalising them in career growth too,” he said.

Calling for the issue to be addressed urgently, Syed Hussain said the gender wage gap will undermine workplace morale, productivity, and employer’s reputation.

“The MEF strongly believes that promoting gender equality and ensuring women's active participation in all spheres is not just a moral imperative, but a strategic advantage for Malaysia.

“By leveraging the talents, skills, and perspectives of women, the nation can achieve a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable future,” he said.